Unforgettable Heat
by Zeldagirl91
Summary: What happens when the heat is unbearable, Kagome is at breaking point, Inu lost his beads, and everyone's gone? Will Inuyasha take advantage? Will Kagome strangle him? Or will a new set of clothes change it all?
1. Chapter One

**Disclaimer: **Funny, I tend to forget these, but in any case… -glances at Inuyasha manga and several Inu items strewn all over room- IT'S MINE YOU DIRTY LAWYERS! ALLLL MINE! -grabs spatula- MWUAHAHA! I have a feeling you won't be suing me with THIS in my hands, now will you! BWUAHAHA! And one of these days…when I conquer the world Inuyasha WILL be mine! Well, either I'll make it mine or give it a better ending, but either way…

**Warning: **No…this chapter has no lime, lemon, blah blah blah, but future ones might! In any case, I feel like giving my chapters names that have nothing to do with the story or chapter, that way my readers won't have a damn idea as to what they're going to read! Mwuahaha! In any case, enjoy the story!

**Chapter One: I'm a Pretty Princess!**

The group had been searching for jewel shards for about a week now, and to no avail. The days had grown scorching hot, and the nights more humid. Every day grew more and more unbearable as the teenagers walked around aimlessly; unsuccessfully. Finally, one by one, they snapped.

"It's soooooo hot." whined Shippo, who had long since dawn collapsed in Kagome's arms. Said body parts were strewn over her shoulder and neck, while his feet hung loosely over the miko's stomach. The young kitsune's eyes were closed, due to the brightness of the sun, and his clothes stuck to his body due to the thick humidity that hung in the air.

Kagome sighed. "I know Shippo, but try to bear it. We're almost at Kaede's hut and when we get there, we'll be in the shade and everything will be better, okay?" said Kagome, attempting to reassure the young fox of their soon to be arrival.

"Mmhm. Okay...but why can't we go on Kirara? And why isn't Inuyasha carrying you?" asked Shippo groggily, becoming extremely sleepy with every passing second.

"Feh! Do you have any idea how hot it is? Sure...we'll get there faster, but do you know what kind of work that gives Kirara and I? Stupid runt." Inuyasha answered.

Kagome sent daggers in the hanyou's direction. "And just what do you mean by 'work'? Are you implying something, Inuyasha? Hm?" Kagome questioned, eagerly awaiting his answer so she could 'sit' him.

A disturbing chill ran up Inuyasha's spine; instinct telling him not to say anything that Kagome wouldn't want to hear. "Um..." Inuyasha gulped. _Tell her she's beautiful? No! You baka! Um...tell her that she..._

"I'm waiting, Inuyasha." Kagome prompted.

"Err..."

"Sit boy."

_THUNK_ Inuyasha slammed face first into the ground, creating a small hole, which outlined every small detail of his body. He grunted as he lifted himself up, then decided to glare at the miko who was now walking away. Right as he was about to say something to her, the hanyou noticed how Kagome's white school blouse stuck closely to her small frame, revealing a thin strap underneath it. Inuyasha wondered what use a strap on her back would give Kagome, but shook it off. He'd ask her later. Right now however, he needed to get up and going before the group walked off ahead of him.

As Inuyasha caught up, Miroku sighed. He had been quiet throughout their entire walk to the village, and hadn't even tried groping Sango...yet. He was too hot, too sticky, and too tired to even pacify his perverse needs. He glanced at Inuyasha, who had decided to glare at the miko ahead of him once more. "Hey...Inuyasha?"

"Yeah?" asked the hanyou, completely irritated about the fact that Kagome hadn't said anything yet.

"Why did Kagome sit you this time?" asked the monk, glancing from his half demon friend to Kagome, then back again.

"She sat me because she thou-- what do you mean this time!" Inuyasha half yelled. He was beginning to get pissed, and the fact that it was incredibly hot was NOT helping it.

The monk flinched. "Eh...just curious. I wasn't paying much attention during that small discussion..." Miroku trailed off as his eyes roved to Sango's rear. She wasn't really paying attention to anything around her, due to the fatigue the heat was causing everyone. Miroku concluded it was as good a time as ever to allow his hands to 'explore' the areas around him. _Perfect opportunity...she isn't even paying attention! Can this moment get any better? _ Miroku's hands answered that for him as they began to reach for their target...getting closer...just a little bit closer...

"Perverted monk! We're in the middle of a conversation and now you want to grope Sango's ass? What kind of horrible timing do you have!" Inuyasha said as he rolled his eyes at the monk's actions.

"You idiot! Did you NOT realize how perfect that would've been for me! She wasn't even paying attention and now she probably hea---" Miroku's sentence was never finished, due to the giant boomerang that landed on his head, knocking him to an unconscious state.

"HENTAI! Why would you even be thinking about that at a time like this! We were almost at the village..._almost_. You had _almost_ gone through an entire afternoon without thinking lecherously...damn houshi!" Sango yelled, flames dancing in her eyes as she continued rambling rather loudly to the unconscious monk.

The remainder of the trip to Kaede's hut ensued in silence; no one daring to say a word in fear of ending up like Miroku: unconscious. The houshi had been knocked out cold, and was being dragged by a very, _very_ pissed off hanyou. Inuyasha glared at the unconscious monk, thinking up ways to torture the houshi after he woke up, and all the ideas ended in the monk becoming unconscious again. Inuyasha's ears twitched as he heard Kagome sigh. _What's her problem now? I hate this damn weather! I wish I could just go to some lake, dive in, and stay there all day._ A little voice in Inuyasha's head decided to add on to that statement. _And you'd want Kagome to come with you._

Inuyasha stopped dead in his tracks as he recalled the last thing ringing in his head. _And I'd want Kagome to come with me? Where the hell did THAT come from!_ Inuyasha stared at the miko in front of him, who was dripping in sweat, causing her white blouse to stick to her skin even closer. Now Inuyasha could make out the color of the strap: pink; a very light, gentle pink. Inuyasha stared at Kagome's back intently, trying to figure out what the heck that strap was for.

And because of Inuyasha's marvelous luck, she just so happened to turn around the minute she felt eyes on her.

"Um…Inuyasha?" No response.

Inuyasha whipped his head to look at the right. Something told him that if Kagome caught him staring at that strap of hers, he'd be sat to death…or at least the earth's core. _Why do I feel as though she'd kill me if she saw me looking at that?_ Inuyasha looked back at Kagome and upon seeing confusion in her eyes, simply responded with a 'feh' and continued walking.

Kagome shook her head and decided Inuyasha hadn't been looking at her. But then…why did she feel as though she was being watched? _Just your stupid imagination again...anyways, since when was Kaede's village so far off?_

Soon after thinking that, to Kagome's and everyone else's pure joy, Kaede's village came into view. No one was outside of their huts, most likely because of the extreme heat. None of the children were out playing, and none of the village women were getting water, hanging up clothes, or gathering food for the night's supper.

"We're finally here!" squealed Shippo, who had woken up moments before the group walked into the village. The kitsune jumped out of Kagome's arms and ran into Kaede's hut, which was only about ten feet away at this point.

"Well, I guess he really wanted to get inside, huh?" Sango said. That was the first time the demon slayer had spoken since Miroku's err…accident, and the tension that hung in the air because of the much dreaded silence was finally broken.

"Yeah, I guess so." Kagome replied, feeling much more nonchalant all of a sudden. She looked at the path towards the well, and decided she'd go back today. Of course, she had to consult it with Inuyasha, but he'd say yes…wouldn't he?

Sango walked into Kaede's hut, feeling grateful for the much needed shade. She sat against the wall next to the door, and sighed. Should she go visit her village since there had been no luck in finding jewel shards all week? _I haven't gone in a while…and I guess it would be okay, wouldn't it? I mean, it's not like we've any kind of lead to another shard so, taking a break shouldn't be so bad._

Finally, Kagome, followed by Inuyasha and an unconscious Miroku walked or err, was dragged inside the hut and settled down. Inuyasha walked to the right side of the hut, but before sitting down, laid Miroku in front of Sango. "Here…you can have him."

"Why would I want him? Can't Kaede take care of him?" Sango questioned, wishing the monk could just wake up and take care of himself. She didn't want to see him at the moment, because if he woke up and was lying down right next to her…well, he'd probably end up unconscious again, and for a most likely much longer period of time.

Kaede looked up from a medicine she was making and cringed. "It be all right child, this tired, and old body of mine cannot handle a troubled spirit such as this one." The elderly woman said, glancing at Miroku, and then turned back to her medicine.

Just as Sango was about to offer Miroku to Kagome, the young miko stood up and grabbed her belongings. She began to walk out the door, attempting to get away while Inuyasha was messing with Shippo (the kitsune had 'accidentally' spilled a jar of water on the hanyou's head), and opened the door as quietly as humanly possible. Unfortunately, Inuyasha noticed this.

"And just where do you think you're going, wench?" Inuyasha asked after taking one huge leap from the opposite side of the room and landed right next to Kagome. He stared at her through his golden orbs, trying to read her thoughts. _If she's trying to go back to her time again…_ This thought caused a low rumble in Inuyasha's chest, but it went unnoticed by Kagome.

" I urm…I want to go home and uh…grab a few things. Is that a crime?" Kagome replied. She tried turning the door's knob again, but was stopped when Inuyasha's hand covered hers, ending her attempt. _Dammit…why can't he ever just let me go in peace? If he makes me sit him cause of this stupid thing…ugh…I don't know what I'll do._

Inuyasha tightened his grip on her hand and stared at her intently. Luckily for the two, Miroku had woken up moments before, tried groping Sango, creating a scene within the hut, which distracted everyone else. At least no one would notice the look Inuyasha was giving Kagome, except for, of course, the miko herself. His golden orbs gazed at Kagome's chocolate brown ones, giving her the most pleading look she had ever seen. "Don't go."

What did he just say? Don't go? How could he say that to her with the expression he had on right now? His eyes had become a much darker golden hue, his facial features had become much more gentle, causing him to resemble a puppy (well, Kagome thought so) and his grip on her hand had become painfully tight. Now, with all that in mind, how the hell was Kagome supposed to sit him in order to go home!

"Inuyasha…" Kagome said sweetly, moving her body closer to his, causing his Adam's apple to move and up and down in a gulp. She looked at him through gentle eyes, but somehow, someway, this chilled Inuyasha to the bone. She continued moving closer until their bodies were already touching, and the only thing separating them were their clothes. Kagome then stood up on her toes, getting closer and closer to Inuyasha's face…

Inuyasha gulped…again. His golden eyes watching Kagome's every move, which at the moment, was _very _hard to miss. Heck, the entire hut had gone quiet in anticipation to see what the young miko was going to do. Inuyasha, already feeling Kagome's face only inches away from his, decided it was as good a time as ever to close his eyes and wait. She was going to kiss him…right? _It's just a kiss…cool it. All she's going to do is kiss you…wait…what am I thinking! She's going to kiss me! ME! _Inuyasha's mind raced more and more the closer Kagome moved to him. When she was only about half an inch away from touching his lips…

"Inuyasha…YOU JERK! I _CANNOT_ TAKE THIS EMOTIONAL DRAMA RIGHT NOW! AUGH! WHO THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU ARE COMING TO ME OH SO INNOCENTLY WITH THAT PITIFUL LOOK AND ALL THAT, HUH! WHAT DO YOU TAKE ME FOR! AHHHHHH!"

Just as quickly as she came, Kagome stormed out the door, but before doing so, twisted Inuyasha's hand into a knot, even though he probably didn't notice due to Kagome's outburst, and then she stormed out of the hut and slammed the door.

Everyone stayed in complete and awed quiet until Shippo finally spoke up, breaking the very uncomfortable silence that had formed itself inside the hut. The young kitsune walked up to Inuyasha and jumped on his shoulder. "Inuyasha…you're an idiot."

Well, that earned Shippo a few new, throbbing lumps on the head, causing the fox demon to grasp his head dearly, as if it were life itself. "Owww! Inuyasha, why'd you hit me THIS time!" Shippo half screamed, half cried. Shippo then ran to Kaede, hoping the old priestess would provide a sort of protection. Sadly, she could not.

"Come here you little runt! I'll kill you!" Inuyasha yelled, taking a couple large steps to where Kaede was standing and kneeled down. He grabbed for the kitsune, accidentally pushing Kaede's leg a bit to the side, which resulted in the old miko grabbing at her pot so as not to fall, but to no avail. The pot filled with hours of stirring and careful timing fell on top of Kaede, who had fallen on Inuyasha, who had obviously failed when trying to grab Shippo by the tail.

"You fool!" Kaede chastised. She rose from her position on Inuyasha, who had grumbled something about "careless hags", and stared at her blouse, then rested her gaze on the medicine she had been brewing. "Do ye not realize how rare the herbs I used are? Can ye not see I had been working on this medicine for days!"

Inuyasha stared dumbly as ever, then thought of a way to have both him and Kaede win. "Well, why don't you take the runt with you to the field and have him gather those herbs for you? I'm sure that with his nose, even as a kid, he could pick up your herbs faster than you can." Inuyasha suggested, satisfied with his resolution to the problem. _At least I'd be getting rid of the kit._

Kaede pondered over this idea for a while, making sure there were no flaws in Inuyasha's proposition. Finally, she nodded in consent. "Very well, Inuyasha. I'll take Shippo along with me to retrieve the herbs…but I warn ye: we may not be back for two days, for the weather seems to be taking a turn for the worst, and the field where the herbs I need are located very close to another village. In which case, we may be staying yonder for the night, should the heat become too unbearable. That is…if it's all right with the kitsune?"

Shippo, being as bored as he was without Kagome around, and assuming she wouldn't be back for another three days, agreed. "All right Kaede. I'll go and help you find those herbs. I'm sure Inuyasha didn't _mean _to be an idiot and make you dump them over." The kit responded smugly, staring at Inuyasha one second, and crying out in pain the next.

"Stupid runt." Inuyasha commented as he finished bopping Shippo over the head for his ever-so-well-picked choice of words. Afterwards, the hanyou strode over to end of the hut, sitting by the door's left side.

"Very well then." Kaede responded, sighing exasperatedly at the two demons' antics. "Let us be going Shippo; we need not waste time with anymore foolishness." After saying that, the elderly woman walked to the door and rested her hand on the knob. Before leaving, however, she turned to Sango. "My dear Sango," Kaede began, glancing at Inuyasha worriedly, "will ye be able to care for Inuyasha? Or at least make sure he doesn't wreck utter chaos while the kitsune and I are absent?"

Sango's eyes went wide, and her mind raced with too many chaotic images for her to count. Just as she began feeling remorse for considering saying no, she felt a hand groping her rear. The demon exterminator's body went rigid with anger, and a nerve in her forehead started twitching. "Miroku…I'M GOING TO KILL YOUR SORRY ASS!"

With that, Sango whirled around on the now awake and alert houshi, who had given a contented sigh, right before hearing Sango's threat. "But…my dear Sango! You don't understand!" Miroku exclaimed, rising up as quickly as he could and stumbling backwards unto the floor, only to back up against the wall. "My hand has a mind of its own! I have absolutely no control over—"

"Give it a REST Miroku! AUGH!" Moments later, an unconscious Miroku lay on a small heap against the wall, with a very angry, very annoyed, and very unmerciful Sango standing right beside him. When she heard Kaede sigh, Sango turned to face the elderly woman. After realizing what had just taken place, Sango blushed deeply with embarrassment, and bowed slightly in respect. "M-my apologies, Lady Kaede."

"Don't ye worry about it, Sango. However, though I still want ye to stay with Inuyasha to keep him out of trouble, I get the feeling you'd be safer elsewhere. Don't ye agree?" Kaede asked, glancing at the unconscious monk and wondering what would happen should she leave Sango with him. The elderly woman shuddered at the thought. _She'd more than likely be molested…that poor child…_

"Err…" Sango replied, not exactly sure of what to say. She wanted to say, "No KIDDING I'd be safer elsewhere! This pervert will take advantage of me in a heartbeat! And with THIS idiot Inuyasha here, that would most likely make matters worse!" but of course, she restrained herself from doing so. Instead, Sango thought of a better idea, and her eyes lighted up at its genius. "Well, Lady Kaede, I think I have to go visit my village. I haven't been there in quite some time, and I would very much enjoy seeing it again."

Kaede nodded in consent, and opened the door. "Very well then; I bid ye well, Sango! I guess these two will have to fend for themselves. I just hope that nothing happens while we are absent…" And with that, she was out the door.

Soon after, Shippo, who was beginning to fall asleep again, woke up suddenly due to the closing of the door. Once realizing Kaede was no longer inside the hut, he sprinted towards the door but before leaving, he stopped next to Inuyasha.

The hanyou noticed the kit's abrupt halt, and lifted his gaze from the floor to Shippo. "Yeah? What do you want?" he asked gruffly, wishing badly for the kitsune to just leave.

Shippo glared at him for a second, then changed into a bright smile. "Don't forget to make up with Kagome!" And with that, the kitsune was out of the hut.

Inuyasha blinked before realizing Shippo had never said a goodbye of any sort to him, and only cared about seeing Kagome again when he returned. "Damn that little runt! He didn't even say bye! All he wants is for me to bring Kagome back! I swear, the next time I see him, he's going to pay hell for that! Does he get off on pissing me off or something!" Inuyasha huffed, growling lowly in his throat. This earned Sango's attention.

"Um…Inuyasha? Why do you care so much?" the said girl asked, cocking her head to the side and blinking a couple of times after asking the question. She had stood up in order to leave the hut, but not before getting that answer out of Inuyasha. _Hm…maybe he really does like Shippo-chan..._

"Err…ah…" Inuyasha seemed perplexed by the question, and he couldn't answer. Why did he care so much? Did he actually like the runt? _Feh…of course you don't, baka! _His mind argued. Inuyasha's eyes narrowed when realizing what he was saying. He was lying to himself…wasn't he? _Yeah…I guess I do care. I guess I want the little guy to miss me…oh well…_ Inuyasha looked back to Sango, who was expecting a rather interesting piece of information. Instead, she received exactly what she _didn't _want. "Feh!" Inuyasha replied, and sat down cross-legged on the floor.

Sango sighed in defeat, and decided to leave. "All right, Inuyasha. Anyway, I'm going to be leaving now, so when Miroku wakes up, tell him I'll be back in two days. And if Kagome returns, tell her that I'm truly sorry I couldn't greet her, but that I just didn't want to stick around and see how Miroku would be when he woke up."

Inuyasha nodded in agreement and watched the demon exterminator go. So now it was just him and the monk…great. Not to mention Kagome had left for her time. How did that make him feel? Alone. He really wondered why she wouldn't just keep herself in one place, but gave up trying after realizing he didn't have the slightest idea why.

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After leaving the hut, Kagome walked to the Goshinboku painfully slowly. Her legs started giving out and her will power to make it to her time dissipated faster than it came. All the miko really wanted right now was to fall asleep in an ice-cold river. Kagome's eyes brightened up at the thought of being refreshed instead of slowly dying in the fiery hell she was dying in at the moment. _If I can go to my time and grab a bikini or something… I can do just that!_

However, the heat suddenly resurfaced in the air and beads of sweat trickled down Kagome's body as it had been doing all morning. The girl sighed, and once reaching the sacred tree, she flopped down on the ground. The heat enveloped her; consumed her, and before she realized what she was doing, Kagome was searching through her backpack for a change of clothes. She heaved a heavy sigh, feeling doubtful about finding any clothes. _I mean…what are the odds of me being smart for once and actually packing a different set of clothes for the heat?_

After about five minutes of searching, however, Kagome found herself with a very neatly wrapped package with a note attached to it in her hands. When she brought it close enough to see, the note read:

_I bought you some new clothes for the summer. Hope you like them! Make sure to show them off to Inuyasha! I'm sure he'd love them!_

_Love always, Mother_

As soon as she finished reading it, Kagome's heart filled with hope, waiting to see the desired clothing. The miko's fingers fiddled with the light blue bow tied around the small, navy blue package. She became frustrated with the well-tied bow, but after a couple of minutes, she finally got it. The light blue tissue surrounding the clothes slid off to reveal a very thin, very soft, and rather small, white, almost see-through tank top and incredibly short black shorts with two white stripes going down each side. Kagome figured the shorts reached about six inches down her thigh, which really, in her opinion, didn't quite suit her long legs. Also, Kagome was thankfully smart enough to pack sandals at the very least, so as to not walk around in sneakers.

After the happiness of seeing a change of clothes passed, a sudden, new worry filled the previously filled spot of joy. The teenager mentally groaned when realizing the arising problem that just surfaced. How was she supposed to get to a river, go inside, and go back to the hut without Inuyasha noticing? She couldn't leave her clothes under a tree, lest a monkey or some animal or demon come and steal it, as had happened in the past. _Great…just great. I get the ideal clothes for summer…perfect for going in a lake, but of course, Inuyasha has to stick around and ruin it. AUGH! Why can't anything work to my benefit!_

Kagome stood up from the ground, deciding she may as well go back to her time since she couldn't go to the river in the feudal era. Although...she wondered how she was going to be able to _stay _in her time without having Inuyasha drag her back. He most likely would notice her absence, in which case he would travel back to her time in pursuit of her, grab her by the collar, and drop her back down the well. Kagome sighed. Typical Inuyasha.

Kagome slung the strap of her backpack over her shoulder, and walked towards the well. She may as well go back to her time and stay in the air conditioning, even though relaxing in a cold river would have been a lot nicer. The miko sighed again and stopped. She could always go to her time and grab a swimsuit in that case, couldn't she?

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About a minute after Sango left the hut with Kirara, who had been on her shoulder at the time, Inuyasha stood up and decided that, since Miroku didn't seem he'd be waking up any time soon, he'd go for a walk, which would consist of a short break by the Bone-Eater's Well.

He arose from his position on the ground and began stretching, when he realized something. He sniffed the air, wondering how this was possible. He exited the hut immediately, not believing what he was, well, smelling. He followed the scent into the forest, where it started growing stronger, and ran as quickly as he could to get to the source. He smelled…Kagome, but...how was that possible? Wasn't she already gone?

_Keh…stupid wench. Guess she decided to stay didn't she? Well, since she stayed, and everyone's practically gone…that would give us some time to each oth-- _Inuyasha mentally slapped himself for thinking such a thing and stopped running. Why did he want Kagome here so much? _Feh! Baka…you know why. It's because…because you lov—_ And again, Inuyasha stopped his trail of thoughts before it would admit something he'd never actually say. Did he love Kagome? Yes…he did, but it wasn't as if he was going to admit that to himself, now was it? Not only that, but the last time he loved someone, she ended up betraying him—killing him even. He wouldn't allow himself to fall into such a trap again.

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Kagome was very near to the Bone-Eater's Well, but stopped in order to take another break. It wasn't as if Inuyasha knew she was still here, right? There was no way he could smell her from the hut…even though...one would be a fool to underestimate Inuyasha. _No…no way he could've smelled me from over there, no matter how strong a demon he may be! I mean…it's about a half a mile away! Maybe even more…so…it isn't possible that he could've smelled me…_

Kagome sounded as if she were trying to convince herself of just that. She wanted to believe that Inuyasha couldn't smell her but...that wasn't the case, was it? She was almost sure that if he could smell anything from a mile away, it was her. She was sure of that because every time she seemed to come back, the only person who'd be there to greet her would be Inuyasha the moment she stepped foot on ground.

The miko sat down by a tree, hoping to relax in the shade, even if for just a few minutes. The heat was definitely getting to her, and her body wasn't too happy about the fact that Kagome was making it travel so much on such a disgustingly humid and hot day. However, despite the fact that Kagome was much too tired for her to even begin to describe, the girl arose from the ground, albeit, with quite a bit of difficulty, for her body felt as though it was being deprived of proper rest. _I've got to keep moving. Everything I was telling myself earlier is a lie, and I know it all too well. Inuyasha _**can **_smell me from the hut, Inuyasha _**will **_drag me back if he needs to, and Inuyasha _**definitely** _will take advantage of the fact that I'm still here just to make sure I don't go back to my time. Ugh…what's his problem anyways!_

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Inuyasha sprinted to the well faster with every second, only because with every second, Kagome's scent was bumped up a notch, making her scent extremely thick in the air, or at least, to Inuyasha anyway. The Inu-hanyou raced to the well, and once it was in view, he sat himself against the wood, waiting for Kagome's arrival.

He sat cross-legged with his arms folded, and his eyes staring intently at the small clearing in the woods from which Kagome was coming. She was almost there…he could smell it. About twenty yards away…maybe fewer. All he could do at this point was wait, and this time, he had the upper advantage. Even if she sat him with everything she had, he'd still be able to prevent her from going to her time. Why? Because he sat right in front of the well, and if she sat him, not only could he grip her ankle with enough strength to make sure she wouldn't be able to move, but he would be able to glance upwards, which, though it wouldn't make Kagome very happy, it'd give Inuyasha an extremely amazing view and freak her out enough to make her forget what she was doing, giving him enough time to get up and make sure she didn't go anywhere. Yes…this time…Kagome would just have to stay.

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Kagome pushed a tree branch out of her face and stepped forward. She finally made it to the well! However, she had closed her eyes in yawn after stepping out of the clearing, and she hadn't seemed to notice her favorite hanyou waiting for her ever so patiently by the well. After she finished yawning, the girl took a step, feeling proud for arriving at the well before Inuyasha had, right before she _saw _Inuyasha, and all that pride sunk to the lowest point it possibly could, right before her shock managed to rise up against it.

"I…Inuyasha?"

"You're coming home with me, wench, so no questions, got it?"

Kagome's hand clenched and her patience thinned, causing Inuyasha to swallow nervously, wondering what the miko was going to do to him. She walked forward and bent down in front of him, and smiled sweetly. "Inuyasha…" The girl said in a sing-song voice.

"Y…yeah?"

"GO TO HELL!" And with that, the chaos began.

**Author's Note: **Ah…I finally finished my first chapter! WOO! BANZAI! -dances like crazy idiot- Well, in any case, I hope you all liked the chapter! Actually, this is the longest chapter I've ever written for fanfiction, but then again, this is the first time I've written for Inuyasha . Anyway, just giving you all a heads up, this is going to be a short fanfiction…due to the fact I'm working on another fanfiction, an original story, and some other things I need to get done. . Also, this story already has all its pretty little ideas written in my fanfiction notebook (which I tend to work on during French and science ) and it's going to be about five or six chapter, given that there aren't any delays or "must write" ideas. Also, if I take long to update (I am SO sorry if I do!), please send me emails galore so that I may get off my lazy ass, okay? I don't mind…but I tend to become rather lazy with my work…so if you all want, send an email here or there to get my off my lazy bum. Well…anyways, hope you all liked it! Now…click ze pretty review button, and um…you get kudos from me! WOO!


	2. Chapter Two

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Inuyasha already! Well, for now anyways…eheheheh…-screams sounding much like that of Takahashi's heard from inside closet-

Lawyer: Is that…Rumiko Takahashi in your closet?

Me: OF COURSE NOT! WHERE WOULD YOU GET THAT IDEA! HEHEH! O.O;;;;

**Chapter Two**: **SHNURV SHNURV! **(remember the absolutely random titles? Heheh…)

"GO TO HELL!" Kagome shrieked, then lunged at Inuyasha with everything she had, attempting to knock him out of the way, as impossible as the task seemed. She threw herself straight at him, ignoring the possibility of her plan failing and ending up in a rather…awkward position.

Well, she shouldn't have ignored it.

After lunging at him, Kagome lost her balance due to the fact that she stepped on a twig on the ground, tripped, fell forward and landed right on Inuyasha's chest, causing his head to go backwards and hit the wood of the well, which resulted with Inuyasha slumping down the side and lying completely flat on the ground with Kagome on top of him.

At first, neither of the two could react. Kagome was still processing what had just taken place, and Inuyasha was just plain shocked…and a bit happy about the result of things. Finally, Inuyasha was the first to speak…or at least mutter a few rather incoherent words, but that was better than Kagome, who apparently wasn't even attentive enough to notice the silence. Kagome was, sad to say, just entering the stage of shock.

"Hey, Kagome…um…"

Kagome looked up from Inuyasha's chest, which was right below her. Actually, if one desired to be exact, his chest was right below hersInuyasha must have been enjoying that, wasn't he? Well, in any case, just as Kagome was about to respond, she realized something else about hers and Inuyasha's rather uncomfortable…predicament.

Not only was her chest completely pressed on Inuyasha's, which she was **sure **he was relishing the feel of at the moment, but also her left leg had somehow managed to trap itself under Inuyasha's, and his right knee had, by some means, pulled off a way to press itself between her thighs, causing an extremely undesired heat to build up at the pit of her stomach. All that, of course, was excluding the unexpected hardness that felt as though it were growing just a bit larger with every passing minute.

Kagome's eyes widened until they couldn't anymore, and her heart began racing rapidly. What kind of sick joke was _this? _Whoever was in control of all these situations must have been having a riot by now. Well, unless of course receiving the only comfortable clothes you have, which are extremely explicit, the one person you love and doesn't know it actually gets to _see _you in those clothes, sticky and uncomfortable heat, and being trapped in a rather comprising position under the person from before is your current location isn't bad luck. However, that definitely did **not **seem or felt to be the case.

"Inuyasha…"

Inuyasha recognized that tone. It was the tone Kagome used right before lunging herself at him, causing this interesting situation to occur, and resulting in a certain appendage in his body to grow just a bit more every second because of his current position. He gulped. "Yes?"

Kagome tried to untangle herself, and found such a thing to be futile. How was she supposed to get off of him, anyways? The miko sighed, and concluded that all this…all these awkward situations were **completely **Inuyasha's fault…and his only.

The hanyou cocked his head to the side and stared at Kagome as best he could without letting his eyes rove a bit lower and get…distracted. "K…Kagome? You're not…you aren't going to _hurt _me for this, are y-you?"

All right. The case wasn't that Inuyasha was scared of Kagome. Really, it wasn't. Well…at least, that's what the hanyou had to tell himself time and again to convince himself of that truth. Fine, maybe not truth, but it was at least a way to preserve any dignity he had left!

Inuyasha continued to tell himself that it wasn't _Kagome _he was afraid of…it was the sits. Well, still…in any case…whatever it was he was scared of—be it a word with immense power, or the teenage girl pressed and tangled with his body, who now seemed pissed enough to be able to kill an army of samurai, he wasn't too sure, but he still had to attempt avoiding punishment for this. The situation was _not _his fault, dammit!

"K-Kagome…this…this isn't my fault! Y-you can't hurt me for this! It ain't fair, dammit!" Inuyasha half yelled. He didn't have the courage to go full out on her, seeing as though she was the one with the power of the 'sit'.

"Inuyasha…why are you here?"

"Um…" Inuyasha didn't know what to say. He had already told her he had come to make sure she didn't go home, right? So…why was she asking this again?

"Inuyasha…I'm giving you a warning: Do **not **say the same thing as before, because if you do, I'll sit you so far into the earth, that you'll not only reach Hell itself…oh no…you'll go much farther than that. I'll make _sure _that you go so far into Hell it'll be cold. So...unless you want your sorry ass to freeze in a place never seen before, talk."

Kagome's eyes told Inuyasha she was dead serious, and he wasn't about to call a bluff. Not to mention…he needed her to get out of there…fast. He was pulsing; throbbing, and he knew it. He knew that he'd have to take care of that, and soon. If not… He winced. He didn't really care to imagine what would happen if Kagome found out. Because of that, he finally worked up enough courage to open his mouth. Now…how to solve the actual speaking problem…

Inuyasha opened his mouth, and closed it. He repeated this process over and over again, until finally, he began looking around and…sadly for him and his manly eyes, his line of vision rested on the view he got a little below Kagome's neck.

Kagome had been staring at him the entire time, afraid that if she opened her mouth, she would say something she'd later regret. After seeing Inuyasha open and close his mouth several times, however, Kagome began to wonder what was making him so nervous. _Well, then again…this happened earlier too. _ Kagome thought as she remembered the incident while walking through the forest. Though...now that she thought about it…he was staring at something earlier, hadn't he? And when she had asked him…he never really answered (of course, waving off the 'feh', that is). Hm…what had he been staring at? Kagome could only wonder. In the meantime, however, it looked as though Inuyasha had discovered something a little more interesting than whatever was on the back of her shirt. He was staring…below her neck and above his chest…meaning…

_That…that…THAT ASSHOLE! WHO THE HELL DOES HE THINK HE IS! AUGH! THIS IS **NOT **FAIR FOR ME! _Kagome sighed heavily, causing Inuyasha's ears to twitch. That was it. She was _not _about to take this, especially not after everything she had put up with in the past six or so hours. Kagome pressed herself more to Inuyasha's body, figuring that, if she did so, she'd gain his attention sooner or later. When she saw drool coming out of Inuyasha's mouth, she figured she was dead wrong, and decided to make this into a twisted little game instead.

"Ohhh…Inuyasha…"

No response.

"Your hair is so soft…and your chest is so…firm_."_

This earned a little more than no response, though not much. Inuyasha's ears twitched a bit.

Finally, Kagome decided to try one last thing, figuring that if she wanted to grab Inuyasha's attention, she'd have to play dirty. She didn't want to yell in his ear, because that would startle him, and in turn, most likely result in an even more awkward position. So…on with the plan.

"I…Inuyasha…your lips look so delicious…I could just lick them all day. And those ears…I probably wouldn't mind playing with those for a while…" Kagome trailed off, collecting her words properly, so as to let out her final part of the plan. All the while, the little trail of drool that had formed at the edge of Inuyasha's lips had streamed down to the bottom of his chin. Finally, Kagome let loose. "Ohhhh…Inuyasha…I didn't know. I…I didn't know you were so…_big. _I wish we weren't so tangled up…or I'd take off my skirt and—"

Apparently, that last statement woke Inuyasha from his…fantasies. Maybe because a part of his fantasy was mentioned? Who knows? However, when he finally _did _look up, he didn't meet with the lust-filled, chocolate brown eyes he expected. Oh no…he met the exact opposite: eyes as fierce as a demon's, and filled with nothing less than the Kagome-anger he feared so much, no matter how much he would never admit it.

Hs voice quavered as he spoke, even though he tried desperately to cover it up. Instinct was telling him to up and run as fast as his legs would take him, but fate had something else in mind. That thing obviously being him tangled up with Kagome and his senses spiking because of their closeness, meaning that if Kagome were to yell right now… Well, let's just say those poor little doggy ears of his would be temporarily out of service.

"K-Kagome? L-let's talk about this like r-rational adults…o-okay?" Inuyasha suggested, more for his own protection and preservation than anything else.

Kagome couldn't help but smirk at his cowardice. Despite his ruff and harsh appearance, he really was nothing more than a scared little puppy, wasn't he? Well, right now…he was a little puppy that was about to get a severe punishment…no matter how innocent he looked.

"All right Inuyasha. Let's do just that." Kagome paused, deciding the beginning of her punishment was just about to begin. "Why don't we get up and **sit **do—"

However, sadly for Kagome, though her punishment did take its toll on Inuyasha…it did on her as well. She had apparently forgotten how tangled up they really were, and so…when Inuyasha went down, so did she. Somehow though, their positions switched in that process. Apparently, when the reprimanding word is used with both the commander, and the reprimanded…the beads…take on a different effect. They caused the twosome to go in a rolling motion, which resulted with Inuyasha on top of Kagome, and their limbs just as tangled as before, if not more so. Actually…there was a…_slight _change.

Now, Inuyasha's chest was pressing down on Kagome's breasts, and his left arm was trapped beneath the miko. Inuyasha's left leg covered Kagome's right one, with his thigh still pressing into the miko's vital area, and his right leg was twisted around her left one. Also, his right arm was trapped below Kagome's neck, giving her a temporary headrest.

However, that slight quirk didn't brighten the miko's mood whatsoever. In fact, though she did enjoy it, she would have, at the moment, preferred Inuyasha's yelling to their current awkward position. Not to mention that heat at the pit of her stomach was **not **helping at all…

But wait…there was something…missing? Kagome's eyes roved all over Inuyasha…or what she could see anyway, which was his face, neck and part of his torso. She stared at his face, which earned her a rather strange stare in return, along with a "Can I help you?" Afterwards, she inspected his torso, but found nothing missing. Soon, Kagome was beginning to become frustrated. What in the world was missing? That question, however, was answered as soon as she glanced at his neck. No need for an inspection or a thorough search. She knew what was missing…

His beads. His beads were…were…they were gone! How…how did that happen?

Kagome panicked. Sadly for her, Inuyasha didn't miss it. His golden orbs searched her brown ones, causing an indescribably warm feeling to surge through her, calming her if for nothing more than a moment. That feeling left as quickly as it came, though, with the words, "What's wrong, Kagome?"

The girl blinked. Her eyes roamed from Inuyasha's face to his neck, and stayed glued to the spot. The beads were really gone…but…when had the necklace broken? Why did it break? Just as these questions started reeling in her head, she remembered something. Something that happened so quickly, it was barely noticeable…

"_Why don't we get up and sit do—"_

_Just as the beads started taking effect, it glowed a strange purple-fuchsia hue. Kagome stared at it for nothing more than a second, but as she realized she began turning with Inuyasha, she grabbed for something—anything, so as to not get hurt. _

_When she did grab something, it immediately dissolved, but she figured she must've grabbed onto something such as a piece of dirt or a soft rock…_

She would have never suspected it was Inuyasha's necklace. How could she honestly be so stupid? Kagome sighed, and apparently didn't notice the hanyou who had been growing more worried with her with every question he thought she couldn't hear. He had been asking her questions for quite some time now, but did she notice? Heh…apparently not, and our favorite dog-boy got all worked up about it, too…

"Kagome? Kagome! Answer me, dammit!" Inuyasha said as loudly as he dared. His hearing, along with the rest of his senses, was still rather distracted by Kagome's presence, hindering him from yelling as loudly as he pleased, for fear of harming his own ears.

Kagome snapped out of her reverie and stared at the inu-hanyou. His beads were completely gone without a trace of them left behind. Not one was left. Slowly, but surely, the miko recalled where she was and what was going on, which was then followed by her remembrance of her current position with Inuyasha, which caused her eyes to open wide with shock…again.

_Holy crap! How could I forget that? _ The girl looked up at Inuyasha from her position and saw his face about a little less than four inches from her face. Her face immediately turned a cherry red as her mind raced with ideas. _He could take advantage of me now, dammit! And I wouldn't be able to do a damn thing to him! What if he wants to rape me? I wouldn't be able to sit him in order to defend myself! What if he wants to use me? What then? Or…even worse…what if he doesn't let me go back to my time and get a change of clothes? Then I'm going to have to dress in that skimpy outfit…right in front of him, too! AUGH! What am I going to do?_

Kagome's breathing came in harshly, which started to worry the already confused Inuyasha. Why were her eyes bulging? And why was she breathing so rapidly? What if she was having a seizure? What if she was short of air? Did she need CPR? The hanyou looked around and saw no one else. _Well, _he figured, _since no one's around to see me kis—give her CPR…I guess it'll be all right…_

The hanyou stared at the miko below him, studying her every detail. She looked beautiful, despite how scared or terrified she might have been at the moment. Her skin glowed, even though it was extremely sweaty. Well, that didn't stop Inuyasha from admiring it, now did it? Her dark eyes mesmerized him; their beauty penetrating through him every time they seemed to search for his soul. Her hair felt as soft as silk—perfectly adorning her face, giving it a look of complete beauty. And finally, his eyes roved to her lips. The lips he so longed for…to feel, to caress with his own…but of course, his pride always got in the way, prohibiting him from taking any action.

Well, that wasn't the point now, was it? Right now, Inuyasha felt as though Kagome was dying, and that if he didn't give her "CPR" soon, she would quite literally die in his arms. He thought so, anyway.

_Here goes nothing…_

Inuyasha dipped his head and brushed his lips softly over Kagome's, and just as he was about to actually give her "CPR"…whatever that meant to him…Kagome freaked.

Kagome had continued thinking of things relating to Inuyasha's new capabilities and the possibility of her defilement, and just as things were beginning to brighten up for her in that oh-so-imaginative mind of hers, she felt something…indescribably soft and yet…so firm at the same time…

…and when she realized they were Inuyasha's lips on hers, she panicked. Her eyes flew wide open, as opposed to the semi-dazed look she wore previously, and she struggled in her position beneath Inuyasha. She tried breaking away, but to no avail. She had forgotten that Inuyasha's right arm was trapped behind her neck, which meant there was no more room for movement in that area. She then tried moving her middle section to try and topple Inuyasha off, but again, her attempts were pointless. Inuyasha's chest was pressing down on her, meaning that trying to push him off like that was going to be just about as successful as trying to lift a 600 pound sumo wrestler off when lying on the ground. Finally, Kagome came to a conclusion: if there was one way she was to get Inuyasha (who now had thought Kagome was having some kind of seizure due to lack of air and was pressing on her even more than before to keep her under control while still kissing her) off of her, it would be by using her legs…or at least…her right leg anyway.

The miko pushed her right knee forward, despite the fact that Inuyasha's leg was still covering it, and well, to put it simply…Kagome's right knee hit its target.

Inuyasha wrenched away from Kagome as quickly as he possibly could, squirmed in agony on top of the said girl (causing the miko's shirt to lift), and did everything in his power to separate himself from the initiator of his current pain. He was able to detach his legs from Kagome's, and somehow managed to free his left arm from beneath her back, which then shot down to his member, or at least, what was currently left of it, and pulled his right arm from under the miko's neck, causing her head to land on the ground rather roughly, but at this point, Inuyasha didn't really notice.

He tried not to scream. He really did…but sadly, it just didn't seem quite possible. So, since he was in quite a bit of pain, and since he was drenched in sweat, courtesy of the current heat and humidity hanging thickly in the air, the hanyou found it completely normal for him to scream in, not only pain, but extreme frustration, thus causing Kagome's ear drums to ring.

"DAMMIT! WHY THE FUCKIN HELL WOULD YOU DO THAT YOU EVIL WENCH! HAVE YOU NO BRAINS! I _NEED _THAT! SHIT, WOMAN! AUGH!"

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Kagome rolled up her sleeves and placed the cold piece of cloth on Inuyasha's head. "Are you feeling any better now, Inuyasha?" she asked hesitantly.

It had been a little over an hour after Inuyasha's colorful way of expressing himself. After he had done so, Kagome threw a…rather large rock…all right, I'll be honest. She threw a rather large _boulder _at his head, causing him to fall backwards and black out for a bit. When he finally did come to (about twenty minutes later), a small but very red bump rested on the top of his head. Because of that, Kagome's guilt built up just a bit. She then decided to rip the bottom part of her blouse (it was already beyond the help of cleaning anyway), grabbed the little bit of water (albeit it, extremely warm water) from her backpack and drenched the piece of cloth with it, in order to try and help the bump on Inuyasha's head kind of…disappear.

Inuyasha lifted his head from the ground and stared into Kagome's chocolate, sparkling eyes, filled with remorse and…wait…was that remorse or amusement? Well, maybe he didn't stare so much as he glared into Kagome's dark brown orbs…but at the moment…that wasn't quite the point. When he spoke, he sounded as though he was just about ready to kill a really annoying, and extremely bothersome demon, which had been following him for days on end. "Yeah, Kagome, I'm peachy. Why don't you throw another boulder at me? Maybe I'll feel a hella lot better than now!"

All right, well, that verified any suspicions Kagome had about Inuyasha feeling just a tad bit pissed. Eh…maybe a little more than pissed, but oh well. Right now, all Kagome wanted was to go home, but she didn't really have the heart to do so, what with Inuyasha in this mood. No, she had to wait till he was happy, now that he no longer had his beads. Unless of course…he didn't know his beads had been removed…? Kagome stared at the hanyou for quite some time, pondering over her current theory.

Inuyasha stared back, growing more annoyed with every moment Kagome stared at him. Did he have something on his face? A piece of food? A pimple? What was her problem? Oh…it was the bump, wasn't it? Yeah…that must've been why she was staring at him. Because, well…what other reason was there for staring at him so intently? Well, her staring at his bump didn't really lighten Inuyasha's mood. Actually, if anything, it worsened it. _ Yeah…today's been just freaggin' great! I mean…Kagome throwing a damn boulder at me, and telling me to fuck the hell off really makes my day…wait…why did she throw a boulder at me anyway? Why didn't she just sit me like she usually does? Huh…I wonder…_

The hanyou stared at Kagome curiously, all his anger dissipating within a moment's time and turning into unadulterated interest. Why _didn't _she just sit him? That probably would have been much more effective than throwing a boulder! Not to mention she wouldn't have had to rip her blouse… Inuyasha's gaze lowered to her exposed stomach, causing his mouth to water. Guess he got a bit distracted, eh? Well, that was a mistake on his part, because Kagome just so happened to notice. Said girl stopped thinking about her theory once she noticed the hanyou staring at her…_longingly? _What in…_hell? _The miko cleared her throat, hoping it would avert his gaze, but to no avail. Well, time for his punishment, right?

Kagome cleared her throat once more, but more for yelling than giving Inuyasha another chance to redeem himself. Fire was in her eyes. Yup, time to give the hanyou hell!

"Inuyasha…would you mind my taking my blouse off? It's kind of hot…" All right, well, she decided that seducing the hanyou and torturing him was going to be a bit more enjoyable. Besides, he was going to see her in the shortest shorts in existence anyway, wasn't it?

He didn't even move his eyes. All he did to respond was give a small nod of his head while a bit of drool seeped out of the corner of his lips. Could he be any more obvious?

Kagome crawled over to him until they were in a similar position as before, given that their legs weren't tangled up together. Her blouse was practically glued to her skin, making that "light pink strap" that Inuyasha had seen previously much more visible. Her arms were at either side of the hanyou, with said person propped up on his elbows, giving him a rather…interesting view.

"Inuyasha? Can you do me a favor…?"

The hanyou couldn't move his gaze. Honestly now, how many times did he get an opportunity like this? Of course, that was excluding the rather reoccurring times when he'd be able to see Kagome while she was in a hot spring. She'd usually sit him…wait, wasn't he going to ask her something about that? Ah well…too bad. Right now, Kagome wanted a favor, and by the sound of it, it was going to be something he'd probably enjoy doing more than asking a silly question about his utmost favorite punishment.

"Yeah…? What do…do you need?" Eh…it was kind of hard to answer at this point. He continued to stare straight ahead of him, staring at that wonderful view he got of Kagome's breasts… _They look so soft and—_

"Inuyasha? Can you take my blouse off for me? My arms kind of…hurt…and it's really, _really _hot." The girl smiled despite herself. She amazed herself sometimes. How often did she do this? With Inuyasha no less! Wow…just a little while ago, she was worried about the hanyou raping her, and now she was the one making the moves? Guess saying that it takes people a while to change was just proven wrong!

Well, Inuyasha's eyes bulged and he almost choked. Did she just offer what he thought she did? Was that even possible? He must have been dreaming. How often did THAT happen? Well, as any man would, or half demon anyway, he happily agreed. He sat up and placed his hands on the end of her blouse to do what she asked, but…well…it was good while it lasted, right?

"INUYASHA! YOU ASSHOLE! WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING!" Kagome screamed. She kneed him in the stomach and stood up quickly, regretting her idea now that it took a turn she wasn't expecting. Her actions were answered with an angry glare and a sound somewhat similar to a pained groan. Finally, Kagome made her mistake; she commanded him to sit.

Silence. Not a movement was made.

Inuyasha blinked a couple of times, wondering why he wasn't smashed to the ground. At the same time, Kagome's eyes went wide after realizing her error. She forgot he didn't know! Damn it! Why did she always make these stupid mistakes? Well, it was too late now, so…she might as well try to sneak off. There couldn't be a finer moment, could there? Inuyasha was stumped as to why he didn't meet face to face with the ground, and he was speechless, so…this would be quite the opportune moment, right? Well, Kagome couldn't be more wrong.

As she tried to sneak away ever so quietly, making sure not to step on any twigs or leaves, she heard some fumbling behind her, followed by footsteps and Inuyasha's snickering. The footsteps came closer and closer until she was sure he was practically breathing down her neck. That's just about when she sighed and decided she wouldn't give up without a fight. Smiling to herself, she stared at the ground for a good minute or so, almost _feeling _Inuyasha's ego growing with every second, until finally, she ran.

She sprinted like never before, taking one enormous step after another, praying to all that was holy that she'd be able to lose Inuyasha, if for nothing more than a few minutes, in order to be able to go back home. And just imagine, all this for just a change of clothes? Well, either way, the miko ran with all she had, never looking back. _I've got to keep running, damn it! I can't let him catch me! I have to go home and grab a change of clothes. Ugh…if he sees me wearing THOSE clothes…I think I really will scream. AUGH! Why do I get myself in these messes anyway? How does this always happen to me? Why can't my life just be simple and NOT complicate-- _ Just as she thought she had lost him, for she hadn't heard anything or anyone behind her, she ran into something rather…hard.

Her eyes roamed from the red, fire rat kimono to meet the smug, conceited gaze of Inuyasha. He didn't even have to say anything for her to know he wasn't going to let her go to her time. She knew that would happen. Actually, just to be safe, Inuyasha put both his hands on her shoulders and stared into her eyes so long, that the girl couldn't even estimate how long he took. Finally, he spoke. "Just so you know…you're not going back to your time. Oh yeah, and also, I'm not doing this to make your life miserable. I'm doing this for…"

Kagome stared at him, curiosity filling her dark brown orbs. "You're doing this…for what, Inuyasha? Why aren't you letting me go back?"

The way she asked the question is what got to him. She sounded so…pleading. She sounded like an innocent little girl asking why she was being sent to her room after eating nothing more than one cookie before dinner. For some reason unknown to him, or to anyone, well…maybe to someone…but up until now, I still have no idea whom, Inuyasha bent his head down and kissed her forehead. He lingered there for a bit, letting his warmth seep in, allowing any harshness, unfairness or pride that had radiated off of him before to melt into her as nothing but care.

The girl stood shell-shocked, as if she was expecting anything but this. Well, almost anything anyway. Her eyes drifted closed as tears pushed against her eyelids in order to seep out. He meant the world to her, and nothing was about to change that. She'd give anything to be with him forever, but she didn't know how likely that was to happen, what with his ties to Kikyou and her living in modern times. However, at this very moment, her reasons for tears weren't because of those thoughts or worries, nor were they because she thought he was only doing this out of pity. No, these tears were because, despite everything they had been through with Kikyou, Naraku, and everything else, Inuyasha cared about her, thought about her…maybe even loved her. Whatever it was, Kagome didn't care. All she asked for was that she crossed his mind, at least once a day, and thankfully for her, her wish always seemed to come true.

He finally let go of her shoulders and pulled her into a hug, causing Kagome's tears to want to gush out even more, but she held strong. She let him embrace her, giving her the comfort and reassurance she needed, giving her a piece of his heart. He raked his claws through her hair gently, and spoke into it. He barely whispered, but Kagome was able to hear as clearly as she would have, had he been yelling it to the world. His voice was hushed, quiet, but full of something that Kagome couldn't quite place, "Just know that…I'm doing this because…because I do want you here. I will _always _want you here, Kagome, as unfair as that may seem to you. I'm sorry that…that I'm selfish at times, but know that there will never be a day that I don't want you by my side, because believe me, through thick and thin, and through every argument we'll ever have, I will never, _ever _want you anywhere, but next to me."

**Author's Note: **-sniff- All right, I'm sorry that it took so freaggin' long to update…but this month has been complete and utter hell. French…has been a pain in the arse…along with algebra, history, science, P.E.…hmm…and choir. Yes, even choir, where all we're supposed to do is sing. –SIGH- Ah well, anyways… I know it seems as though I'm rushing things a bit in my story, but don't forget: this story is planned to be sweet and short, and not to mention the IY characters have MAJOR mood swings. Well, anyways, I promise not to take so long next time! Or at least…I promise to TRY and take a shorter amount of time to update! Who knows, if I don't have so much homework, I might be able to update before my birthday (December 11)! WOO! Anyways, please review! The more you review, the more motivation I get, the more I want to update! FWEE! And to my readers, Happy belated Thanksgiving and Happy Second-day-for-you-to-stuff-your-face-as-much-as-you-can-with-all-your-leftovers-until-you-explode Day!

P.S.- Sorry this chapter was a bit shorter than the last one, but this one had more fluff so, fwee! –dances for hours on end- Kudos to all who review!


	3. Chapter Three

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Inuyasha, but –gets on random mall Santa's lap- Can you give me Inuyasha for Christmas? PLEASE? –SOB-

Chapter Three: Litter Boxes Have Trap Doors! 

**Warning: **This chappy is a bit sad, but the endinggets better, don't worry. This is the ONE sad-ish chap of the five or six chappy series, so no worries! Just make sure to enjoooooy!

The walk back to the village ensued in a comfortable silence. Inuyasha's words rang in Kagome's ears all through the walk back, causing her heart to skip a few beats here and there. At the same time, Inuyasha was rather shocked at what had escaped his lips. When did he become such a romantic anyway? Well, as he pondered over that, his gaze fell on the bottom of Kagome's back, which was now visible, due to the tear she made on her blouse in order to supply Inuyasha a suitable cloth for his head. Unconsciously, his eyes wandered father up, and finally settled on that light, pink strap he noticed earlier. What _was_ that thing, anyway? Why did Kagome need it? What purpose could it possibly have on such a hot day?

Kagome, still thinking about what Inuyasha had said prior to their current silence, felt someone staring at her. She didn't know how she knew, or why she felt that way, but she couldn't help but feel that there were eyes on her back. The fact that Inuyasha had been walking behind her this entire time didn't really help Kagome doubt her thoughts, either. Slowly, she turned around to see if the hanyou really was staring at her. When she was finally able to look behind her, she saw, for only a moment, Inuyasha whip his head to the right and stare intently at the passing trees. The girl stared curiously at Inuyasha, wondering why he was staring at her in the first place. Was there something on her back? Eh…probably not. It was possible that, because of the humidity, her clothes could be sticking to her skin, making the baby pink bra she wore slightly, if not completely, visible.

The girl sighed heavily. Why were men so easily entertained? The girl stopped in her tracks, almost causing Inuyasha to collide into her. Said person looked at her questioningly, as if asking about the abrupt stop. However, those thoughts were quickly intercepted when Kagome placed a hand on Inuyasha's cheek and stared at him with a certain look in her eye that, in Inuyasha's memory of the many faces of Kagome and what they really meant, warned Inuyasha for a long and excruciatingly painful round of 'osuwari's'.

"Inuyasha," Kagome began, rubbing her thumb gently on his cheek, almost making the hanyou give in to his desire to lean into her feather soft touch. "Why were you staring at me so intently?"

Her voice never faltered in its sweet melodic tone, nor did her eyes waver or move from his—a look of fake curiosity masking that of anger…very frightening anger. Not to mention, the miko wore a rather overly bright smile, which sent chills running up and down Inuyasha's spine. So…if she looked innocent, her eyes were glowing, her hand was on his cheek, her voice seemed like that of a sweet, angelic girl, and her smile could light up a storm, in Inuyasha's "many faces of Kagome and what they mean", that only meant he was going to have some kind of hell to pay for something he probably shouldn't have done.

Inuyasha tried to respond. He really did. He opened his mouth, and even looked Kagome in the eye. There was one problem though. When he _did _try to say something—anything—to answer, all that came out was a cowardly sound, signifying his true fear of Kagome. Actually, he tried numerous times: the opening and closing of his mouth followed by the cowardly 'meep' every once in a while. As much as it hurt his pride, actually, crushed it, Kagome found this more entertaining than not.

And…because of her entertainment at Inuyasha's cost, she cupped his face gently, looking straight into his eyes, searching his soul. Well, at least she made it look that way. She stood on her toes, edging closer to his face and making everything seem even more unreal than it already did to the poor inu-hanyou. She leaned closer to his ear while still cupping his face, and whispered into it. Her voice was feather soft, like a whisper on the wind, saying ever so gently, "If you were staring at something light and pink with two straps on my back…it's called a bra. For your sake, never stare at it again, understand?"

Inuyasha's eyes stared at her as wide as they possibly could as she stood on her feet once more, smiling at him as innocently as an angel would. He nodded slowly, fully knowing that, when Kagome said not to do something, she meant for you to do it, only if you wished to take your first step to death. The hanyou didn't dare ask what was the purpose of this 'bra'…that was what Kagome called it, right? He figured that, if she threatened him like _that _over this 'bra,' then it obviously wasn't worth the risk. He smirked to himself. _I'll find out eventually…one way or another._

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Once they arrived in the hut once more, the two realized Miroku was gone. The monk had left a note saying that he was going to go visit his father's grave, along with his grandfather's, and that he figured the hanyou and miko needed some "time alone." Thankfully for him, Inuyasha was the first one to enter the hut, and was thus the first to read the note, which he decided not to show to Kagome. When the miko asked for the monk's whereabouts, Inuyasha had simply stated that Miroku had gone to visit his father's grave, which was entirely true. Kagome had seen too much scribbling on the piece of paper when she got a glance at it to really believe that, but she decided not to ask. She figured Inuyasha wouldn't tell her anyways. Afterwards, she walked around the hanyou and flopped herself onto the floor, sighing gratefully as her legs were finally granted some relief. Her blouse was completely plastered to her, making it seem as though it were a second skin. The girl then decided to take off her shoes, freeing her tired feet from the excessive covering of her shoes and long, thick socks. All the while, Inuyasha had been staring at her, unbeknownst to the miko.

Kagome then stood and walked over to her bag, which Inuyasha had carried, thankfully for the girl, after they escaped their rather awkward situation. She shuffled through it, throwing out a history book, her geometry book, a zipper of something that caught the hanyou's attention, a towel, which Inuyasha remembered was what the miko used after she finished bathing, and finally, a pack of ramen, which the hanyou grabbed at greedily.

When the girl turned around, the small package of clothing her mother bought for her in her hands, she cast Inuyasha a bewildered stare as looked around the hut, on his knees and hands, for a pan in order to prepare the ramen. It wasn't the cup ramen Kagome usually brought, but instead the actual package kind. However, the hanyou felt her gaze on him, and whipped his head around, only to stare into Kagome's laughing eyes.

"What is it, wench?" Inuyasha asked, hands still groping for a pan of some sort, even though he knew better than to look for that in his era.

"Well, Inuyasha, do you expect me to just stand here and _not _stare at you while you look for something that doesn't even exist in this day and age?" the miko countered, allowing her smile to crease her face as the hanyou glared at her.

"Well, maybe if you were _considerate _enough to bring a pan to make ramen for the person who saves you every fucking day of your life because you can't do it yourself, thanks to your horrible archery skills, I wouldn't be entertaining you right now, now would I?"

The amused glint in Kagome's eyes left as quickly as it came, and was replaced with a seething glare directed at her favorite dog demon. "Well, maybe then I shouldn't have freed you from your little helpless self that was stuck to Goshinboku, eh, Inuyasha?"

The hanyou was about to retort, when he realized just how stupid that made him sound. If Kagome would have never freed him, he'd probably still be stuck to that tree, wouldn't he? The hanyou sighed and stared at Kagome through annoyed golden orbs, signifying that he lost their little battle. "Keh."

Inuyasha stood up from his position and walked over to Kagome, pinning her with a still rather annoyed look, and smirked. "You know, Kagome," Inuyasha began slowly, stepping closer to her, and getting so close, that Kagome was forced to move back. "I don't particularly like to lose." Inuyasha said, while still stalking closer to Kagome as she neared the wall of the hut. The hanyou could only stare at her face, which at the moment, looked rather startled, shocked, surprised, astounded…whatever you want to call it. Basically, Kagome looked a bit freaked out.

The girl stared at him through confused, and rather perplexed brown eyes. _What the heck is he doing? Did the heat finally get to him or something? Is he losing it? I mean…Inuyasha has done some pretty weird things in the past, I'll accept that, but what the hell kind of joke is THIS? This is the second time today that he's acted a little too weird for my liking…well…not necessarily for my liking, but…still! And why is he looking at me like **that? **As if…as if he _wants _me! And he's getting so close, too. Why is he acting so stran—_

However, Kagome's line of thought was cut off when she felt a clawed hand wrap around her waist, which was completely exposed, and drag her closer to Inuyasha. The girl let out a soft gasp as she looked into Inuyasha's golden depths, seeing something--something she wasn't ready to hope for, to believe.

As the hanyou got closer, Kagome completely freaked. She pushed both hands against his chest, causing him to stumble backwards, not because of the push itself, but more out of shock. The girl then just slid down to the ground, eyes wide and breathing a little hard. She stared at the hanyou, who's face resembled a bright red cherry as, Kagome was sure, he just realized what he was about to do, and looked like he _wanted _to do.

After a couple of minutes, Inuyasha stared back at her, a pleading, yet somewhat confused and hurt look in his eyes. His golden orbs penetrated into her soul, into her thoughts, and he never stopped staring. He only looked at her, asking for something…the same something Kagome refused to see before. The girl looked away and sighed, finding a scratch in the wooden floor beside her extremely interesting. Why did he always do this? What did he want from her? Better yet, what did he _expect _of her? She wasn't Kikyou, and she never would be. So…if he knew that…if he _honestly _knew that, why did he look at her the way he had been doing? Kagome knew, or at least was pretty sure, that Inuyasha still loved Kikyou. But maybe…maybe he…

Kagome shook her head, almost wanting to slap herself for her stupidity. _He doesn't love me! He could never love me! I mean, why would he? I'm not as pretty as Kikyou, or as smart as Kikyou, or as good an archer as Kikyou, and I sure as hell didn't make the same sacrifice she did for Inuyasha! AUGH! Why do I even _try _getting my hopes up? _ The girl sighed softly, her gaze on the floor becoming gentler, softer, but full of sadness. _I get my hopes up…_ The girl looked at the hanyou sitting not to far from her, a light blush still giving color to his cheeks, as he stared at the wall opposite of him, thinking deeply. _…Because I love him, and I always will._

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The sun was beaming outside, its rays being absorbed into the hut's makeshift roof. As if it wasn't hot enough, the heat absorbed seeped through, and filled the already sickeningly hot and humid room. The added heat caused both the hanyou and miko to want to scream in agony. Not only was there an abnormal amount of heating intoxicating the already cramped up, small hut, but also the silence within the room was so thick, that neither of the two were willing to say a word.

After some time, Kagome cracked. She just couldn't withstand the heat _and _silence, so she spoke her mind. Mind you, she was still brooding about Kikyou and Inuyasha, followed by what he was planning on doing when he had practically pinned her against the wall, followed by his desire to become a full demon, even though he had stopped speaking about that a while ago. These combinations of thoughts, as one might guess, did not come out in the…most discreet question. Well, Kagome's only other option was to change into the clothes her mother gave her, and the only place Kagome would, and could, do that in was inside the hut, which, if you forgot, Inuyasha was in. So, in the end, Kagome found asking a rather annoying question more bearable than changing in the same room Inuyasha was in. She cleared her throat, gaining Inuyasha's attention in the process. Once his golden orbs were focused on her, she opened her mouth to speak. "Inuyasha?"

"Yeah? What do you want, wench? I'm kind of busy." Inuyasha answered rather gruffly. It wasn't that he was really busy. Actually, to be honest, he had absolutely nothing to do. However, he saw the questioning look in Kagome's eye and knew she was about to ask him something. Well, it's not so much that he minded answering her questions; it was simply that he didn't quite think he would enjoy answering _this _particular question, judging by the glint that shone in the miko's eyes.

Kagome stared at him with a bored expression for a moment, telepathically telling him that, if he couldn't come up with a better excuse than 'he was busy', he shouldn't have said anything in the first place. However, her expression quickly changed as her question popped into her mind once more, filling her eyes with the curiosity that had filled them prior to Inuyasha's comment. "Inuyasha…do you still want to become a full demon?"

The question was to be expected at some point, the hanyou figured. Actually, to be honest, he should've expected it sooner than later, only because they were practically finished completing the jewel, given that they still had to collect the other shards from Sango's brother, Kohaku, Kouga, and, of course, Naraku. However, the question struck him by surprise. He wasn't anticipating anything like that from Kagome…at least, not today. Not with the already torturous heat, humidity he can practically swim in, and the discomfort of having his clothes stick to him like a second skin—no, he definitely wasn't expecting Kagome's question when it came.

When he didn't answer, Kagome sighed, and looked at her folded hands in her lap. "I'm sorry…I guess I should have just stayed quiet. It isn't like it's any of my business to know…and it definitely wasn't my place to ask…I'm…I'm sorry, Inuyasha. If you don't want to answer, it's fine—"

The hanyou stopped her in mid-sentence after sitting down in front of her and lifting her chin up to meet his eyes. Those golden orbs of his…they looked so gentle, so comforting…Kagome just couldn't help but stare into them, become part of them. She wanted so badly to just stare at them all day without a care in the world. She knew better, however, and that she had better stop dreaming. It wasn't as if Inuyasha loved her or anything…

Kagome looked away from Inuyasha's gaze as her last thought lingered in her mind. _'It's not like he loves me… It's not like he can possibly put Kikyou behind and think about me instead… It's not like I can even compare to Kikyou…she…she _died _for him. Al I've done for Inuyasha is cause him trouble…or problems…I mean, I broke the stupid jewel! It's all my fault we're even going on these journeys—why we're even stuck in this hut. _The girl cast the hanyou a glance after he let go of her chin and sighed. He looked a bit mad, hurt, offended…yet he looked as though he wanted to give Kagome a hug…or maybe it was more than that…

The girl shook her head, but continued looking at Inuyasha. His eyes seemed to swirl with countless emotions, each flicking in his orbs for a moment, if nothing more. Finally he said something—barely audible, but Kagome heard it. The golden pools that Kagome loved so much seemed to glow as he spoke, assuring that whatever he said was true, no matter what or who said otherwise.

"If it meant losing you, Kagome, I would never change—not for the world."

Those words were all it took to make Kagome's heart beat speed up a thousand times faster, and make her breathing come in quick, short breaths. Her expression softened, and her gaze rested on Inuyasha, who had gotten up and sat down next to her, against the wall of the entrance to the hut. She smiled at him softly, but sadly. What did those words really mean to him? Did he desire her presence just so that she can fill the spot Kikyou once did? Did he only say that so she would stay with him until they collected all the jewel shards and defeated Naraku? _No…Inuyasha's not like that. He wouldn't do that to me, but…maybe he still does see me as Kikyou, in a way. He says I'm different from her, and that he no longer sees me as Kikyou's replacement but…how can I be so sure when, every chance he gets, he runs off just so that he can see her? How can I be sure of what he says if he's willing to risk me being in danger just so that he can see Kikyou?_

The girl sighed, for just about the hundredth time that day, and was about to turn her head, when Inuyasha met her gaze. He looked as if he wanted to say something, but what? It seemed as though he was trying to read her mind, and it also seemed as though he was doing so successfully, judging by the way his eyes were filled with sadness and regret. Finally, his lips parted and he spoke.

"Kagome?" he asked timidly, unsure of what or how he was going to say what he was. He looked at her, seeing her countenance lose its usual glow and radiance. Her smile faded as she stared back at him with sorrow filled eyes, wondering what his next words were to be. "Yes?"

"I…I'm sorry for every time I've run off to see Kikyou…"

Kagome almost stopped breathing when he said that. Did he hear her thoughts? Possibly read them? Did he know what she was thinking, or was she just really easy to read? The girl's eyes widened in surprise, half hoping for him to continue, half begging him not to, for fear of hearing something—anything—that might hurt her already pained heart. Thankfully for the side cheering Inuyasha to continue, he did.

"I…I'll never forget her. I can't. If I could, I would probably try everything in my ability to do so, but I can't. I'm…I'm sorry that…that I ever made you cry, or sad, or just…regret ever meeting me, if for only a second. I…didn't mean to hurt you—I never do. I hate to see you shed tears…especially when it's because of me, which, it usually is. I just…"

The hanyou looked at her through pleading eyes. He seemed so sorry…for everything. It looked as though he was just about ready to cry, but…Inuyasha? Cry? Feh…it was only a figment of Kagome's imagination, she was sure. Still…he seemed genuinely sorry for everything, and though Kagome never had, and never would have, pressed Inuyasha for an apology, she was somewhat happy he did give one. However…hearing the words 'I'm sorry' coming from Inuyasha's mouth…well, it made Kagome feel…special. _Very _special, though she'd never let that get to her head. Well, hearing those two words coming from Inuyasha was also pretty weird, and Kagome told him just that…well, she would eventually anyways.

The girl reached out her hand to touch Inuyasha's cheek, and he leaned into it, into her warmth. He seemed so happy when he was with her, but…how could he be happy? All she's ever done was cause him pain, right? All she's ever done is cause him trouble, and make bad memories resurface…right? Something inside her was telling Kagome that she was wrong—dead wrong—but the girl refused to listen.

The girl sighed, letting her hand fall away from Inuyasha's cheek. He sent her a questioning glance, but no more. She stared off to the side, still wondering about her place with Inuyasha. What did she mean to him? What _was _she to him? Did she belong in his time? Would…they always remain together? The girl sighed in response to her own questions. _I know being able to come to this side of the well was no accident—that I have a purpose for being able to come here, but was it to bring Inuyasha to life, or was it more? Will I always be able to stay by his side? Will he always _want _me by his side? Or…will he want to be with Kikyou?_

Kagome's gaze shifted to Inuyasha, staring at him with an intensity that could never have been dreamed to be matched. The emotions present in her eyes each flickered, revealing feelings such as fear, adoration, worry, curiosity, longing, and…before she was able to turn away, Inuyasha returned her gaze, twice as intense as hers, and saw…love in her eyes?

The hanyou blinked a couple of times while still staring at Kagome incredulously. He hadn't just seen Kagome looking at him _lovingly_, had he? He was sure his eyes weren't going bad, and that they weren't playing tricks on him, yet…he just wasn't able to bring himself to believe that Kagome could… The hanyou shook his head. _Baka! You don't really think she'd love _you, _do you? If she did, she would…_ He looked back at Kagome, stunned as realization, or partial understanding, came upon him. _She'd stay with you…wouldn't she? If she loved you, she'd stay by your side no matter what, despite all the danger that follows your every footstep, wouldn't she? But…how could she love…me?_

As if in answer to his question, Kagome spared him a glance, a light blush still coloring her fair skinned cheeks, and smiled at him softly, gently. Her smile offered him a comfort too overwhelming for him to just let pass by. If only she knew what she did to him…what he made her feel with nothing but a smile. _She's so beautiful…_ Inuyasha thought as he smiled back lightly. He sighed softly, leaning his head back against the wall, though tempted to rest it on Kagome's shoulder. Why did he feel as though Kagome was still thinking about Kikyou? It was as if…he could feel her thoughts, read her mind. He didn't know why he felt this, but he did.

Kagome seemed to feel his stare, and turned her head to meet his golden orbs. "Something wrong, Inuyasha?"

The hanyou narrowed his gaze and turned his body completely so as to face her. "Why do you keep thinking about Kikyou?" He asked, causing a rather shocked look to replace Kagome's usually calm countenance.

Kagome kept silent longer than Inuyasha would have liked, but he remained patient nevertheless. He stared at her as she stared at her folded hands in her lap. She seemed so deep in thought, as if calculating exactly what to say, just so that, whatever it may be, it would be answer to Inuyasha's liking. Finally, after what seemed like hours to Inuyasha and minutes to Kagome, the miko answered.

"I…I think about her because…I know I can never compete with her, you know? I mean, sure, we're both priestesses, and we both took care of the Shikon no Tama at some point, but…even then, she's better than me. She was a master archer—I'm far from that. She didn't…she never…she never broken the jewel! She would have _never _broken the jewel! Only a klutz like me would do that! Not only that, but you lo—"

Kagome's eyes, along with Inuyasha's, widened, when the miko cut herself off. Inuyasha looked at her through shocked eyes, as if wondering why Kagome would mention that. He moved so that he was crouching down in front of her, staring into her eyes, even though Kagome tried to look away. It didn't matter though, because the hanyou brought his right hand to lift her chin and face him, even if she didn't desire making eye contact.

What was it that she was trying to avoid? Why wouldn't she look at him? The hanyou sighed, letting his hand fall to his side as he sat down, ready to wait another long time for another complicated response from Kagome. _Why are women always so difficult?_

Kagome knew why she mentioned that. She knew why she had brought up the fact that Inuyasha had loved, or maybe still loved, Kikyou. She was jealous of Kikyou—she knew that. What other reason was there? Sure, Kikyou was a better archer—that was a known fact. Of course Kikyou was prettier, too…any person with eyes could see that. However, there was one thing Kagome wanted…one thing she wished she possessed, but knew Kikyou held in her grasp, and that one possession, that one, beautiful thing Kikyou owned…was the heart, the very being of the man who sat before her. _That _was what Kikyou had that Kagome wanted—all she wanted. _And yet…all she wants to do is bring him to Hell with her…she doesn't even want to give him the chance to live. How…can she have the heart to do that to him? How can she want to bring him any harm or pain? How can she want to bring him sadness, when Inuyasha has already faced more sadness and more hate than anyone we know? How can she be so vengeful against him, when it wasn't even his fault she died? _Kagome sighed, not knowing an answer to any of her questions.

She sensed Inuyasha's discomfort, and decided he'd probably had enough of this, of her confusion. They were both suffering as it was in the heat, and to have to talk about Kikyou and the Jewel of Four Souls…it wasn't really on the top of their 'To Do' list. Because of that, the miko got up, acquiring the attention of Inuyasha, and walked over to her bag. Not a word was said as the girl pulled out her sandals, slipped them on, and walked back to her spot against the wall of the hut, only to sit back down. When she saw that Inuyasha was staring at her, fearful of asking what she was doing, she didn't answer.

The hanyou sighed in exasperation. He rolled his eyes after he gave Kagome the 'tell me what you're doing so that I don't have to ask you' look, but she obviously ignored it, not wanting to answer. So he asked. "Just what the hell are you doing?"

"What? Can't I put my sandals on in peace? I'm not going to go around walking barefoot, you know." The girl retorted. Her clothes just seemed to stick more and more to the hanyou…

He swallowed hard as her clothes stuck on more so on the miko's body than they already did, enlightening his eyes with far more than he intended to see. "Keh! What do you need sandals in this temperature for, wench? You don't see _me _walking around with those nasty things." The hanyou winced when he finally noticed a change of clothing sitting besides Kagome. The things she called 'shorts' looked a little _too _short this time…

The girl shot him a look, which obviously stated his response to hers was rather dull. "No _kidding. _Sandals and you don't even belong in the same sentence, baka! You'd _never _wear sandals, because you never wear shoes, anyways! I, on the other hand, _do_ wear shoes, and I'm _not _going to be walking outside without sandals! Besides, I'm not wearing my sneakers…they're way too hot for my liking, at least in this temperature, they are."

Inuyasha stared at her with a dumfounded expression clouding his amber eyes. "What do you _mean _'walking outside'? Why would you want to go outside with this…this…this _disgusting_ heat?" The hanyou questioned, eager to hear her answer. This he _had_ to hear.

Kagome stared at him for a second before his question sank in. After it did, she blushed profusely, and her eyes widened in surprise. Had she mentioned she was planning on going outside? Well, not that Inuyasha would have missed her presence--he'd have definitely noticed. But still…there was a chance he would've eventually fallen asleep out of boredom, wasn't there? She sighed. _Well I guess now there isn't… _The girl looked back up at Inuyasha, put on a bright smile, and laughed nervously. "Um…yeah…go outside. I uh…figured I'd probably be bored if I just sat here all day and—"

Inuyasha cut her off, not even listening to her babbling once she clearly stated, what the hanyou considered to be, a pathetic excuse. "What are those clothes for? You don't plan on wearing them, do you? Where would you…change?"

The pause evident in his last question made Kagome's previously furious blush linger for a little while longer. "Well, err…I was hoping that um…that…"

"Spit it out, wench. I ain't got all day."

Kagome glared at him for a moment, then blurted it out. "I was hoping you'd turn around so that I can change."

Inuyasha scoffed and covered his mouth, discreetly hiding his smirk. _So she's willing to trust me to change, into different clothes, eh? _He stared at the girl in question, and smiled smugly. "So…basically, you're asking _me _to turn around for _you _so that you can change? Is that it?"

Kagome blushed, but nodded. She inwardly groaned, knowing Inuyasha was probably going to gloat to her about not having any prayer beads dangling around his neck, or about her not being able to reprimand him with the 'sit' command, or about how she was going to have to place her full trust in him…which, though she'd never tell him, he already possessed. She sighed as she let his incessant talk about the beads subside and change into incessant talk about her no longer having the ability to 'osuwari' him. _And he complains about _my _talking too much, huh? Listen to **him **ramble on…_

"—and guess what? You _still _won't be able to make me slam into the ground, eating the dirt, because you know what? I ain't got those stupid beads around my neck anymore! If I suddenly have the urge to become like the lecher of a monk, and just so happen to let my eyes "wander" on their own, as he says for his need-a-feel hands, you wouldn't be able to do a damn thing! Not to mention if—"

He was driving Kagome crazy, really, he was. He just kept talking and talking…and wouldn't stop. This must have been how he felt when she would never stop talking when she became nervous or anxious because of something, wasn't it? The miko smiled despite herself. _Well…now he can't say he's not a talker…well, he _definitely _can't say he doesn't gloat, if anything. _She sighed, looked at the hanyou, and raised her hand, as if to signal him to be quiet. "I trust you, Inuyasha, okay?"

He stopped talking abruptly, and stared at her as if she had a third arm coming out the side, her hair had turned blonde, and she was a wearing checkered red and orange skirt with a rainbow colored blouse. "You—_what?"_

Kagome giggled at his disbelief, though she couldn't blame him. He must've have lived thinking that no one was capable of trusting a hanyou, didn't he? Especially after what happened between him and Kikyou…

Kagome shook her head, ridding herself of those thoughts, and focused on Inuyasha again. She smiled. "I _trust _you, Inuyasha. Whether you peek or not, I won't know. If you do, it doesn't really matter, cause my back will be to you," She paused as she noticed slight disappointment enter Inuyasha's golden eyes, but quickly continued. "And the only thing you'll be seeing will be stars, if I find out. Got it?"

The hanyou nodded slowly, digesting everything Kagome just finished saying. He stared at the miko as she walked to the closed off half of the hut, where Kaede's pot usually rested. Today, however, the pot lay on the ground, thanks to the accident caused by he and Shippou earlier that day. She paused before grabbing the clothes on the floor, only to look back at him. "You gonna turn around?"

He seemed to be broken from his gaze as he heard the question, grunted something in response, and sat down on the ground, his back to Kagome. He smiled, despite the groan that almost escaped him when he saw Kagome's torn blouse fly to his side of the room. _So she trusts me…with her changing…huh… _That blouse was only part one. There was something light and pink under that…the bra Kagome spoke of…and he was going to find out what the hell it was it covered, stars or not. _Funny she should trust me with this sort of thing. Keh…stupid wench…_very _stupid wench…_

He grinned.

Oh yeah, this was definitely going to be interesting.

**Author's Note: **GAK! I'm SO sorry! Um…on the bright side…I didn't take an ENTIRE month? EHEH? O.O;;; -sweatdrop- Alright, but I haven't been too lazy this time! Only a couple of chances. Other than that, I swear, I've been working on this! (I haven't gotten that many chances, as is probably obvious) Um…well, hopefully I'll be able to update before New Year's. I have nothing else to do but work on a couple of projects –coughFrenchandEnglishcough- . Ah well, anyways, I'm really, _really _sorry I couldn't update sooner. I SWEAR I'll try everything to update by New Year's. And thank you everyone for your reviews! They were really encouraging! I REALLY appreciate them! Thank you all so much! –hands out cookies and Christmas presents to reviewers- WOO! Anyways, please review! It helps a lot! Eheh…anyways, um…_please _review? –acts like a beggar and plays guitar for each review- -struuuuum- Jingle Bells! Jingle Be— -choke- Urk. Anyways, please review and MEEEEERRY CHRISTMAS! FWEE!


	4. Chapter Four

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Inuyasha! Why do you think I'm most likely going to MegaCon for? For the cookies? NO!…no matter how much I love them. ;; Inu-kuuun! My love! Come to meeeee!

Fangirl #165413134: NEVEEEERRRR! He is MINE and MINE ALONE! AHH!

Moi: o.O;; Umm…I'll be…over theeeeere…-points to and Eheh? ;

**Chapter Four: Mahashalalhashbaz or Mahashalalbashbaz?**

Before taking off her bra, Kagome turned her head around to make sure Inuyasha wasn't peeking. Despite the fact that she really _did _trust him, he was a man, after all, and she wasn't sure how much she could trust them as a whole. After turning around momentarily and reassuring herself that Inuyasha wasn't peeking, she turned back around and started unlatching her bra. _Well, at least I know he isn't as big a pervert as Miroku…even though…he _was_ staring at my shirt…_ The girl sighed. Ah well, too late to stop now, wasn't it?

After hearing Kagome turn back around, Inuyasha inwardly sighed. _Good, now I can finally find out what that stupid wench uses that 'bra' for…_ He didn't know why the bra intrigued him so much. Really, he didn't. For some reason, though, the suspense of what it covered called to him, beckoned him to find out. It was as if the mere existence of the bra was created to only amuse the hanyou during the sickening heat wave that was passing through the village. However, Inuyasha, at this point, didn't really care what the bra was made for, but knew that he desperately needed to find out what it was it covered—soon. The fact that it caused Kagome to threaten him should he try to find out…well, it had caught his increasing interest, to say in the least, and finally, he was going to find out, whether the miko liked it or not.

Turning his head slightly so as to look innocent should Kagome turn around and find him peeking, yet still able get a decent view of the bra's placement, Inuyasha smirked to himself. _Clever wench. Thinking she can hide from me, does she? Feh…she obviously isn't as intelligent as she makes herself out to be, what with all those 'exams' of hers and all. Keh. Either way…time to see what it is exactly that this 'bra' cove—_

Before Inuyasha could even dream of registering his final thought, however, the light pink strap was unlatched, causing the hanyou's head to whip suddenly in record speed. It seemed as though our beloved hanyou didn't, nor wasn't about to miss a thing…

The miko's fingers fiddled with the latch for a moment before finally unhooking it. The straps then came off slowly, timidly, as if the girl were afraid of eyes staring at her at that very moment. After the straps came slid off her shoulders, the girl's right hand grabbed the left strap, slid it off, and flung it backwards. Sadly for the hanyou watching, he hadn't expected to see the swell of Kagome's breasts right after, and _surely _wasn't expecting the desire for her to grow so significantly.

The bra flew through the air briefly, and landed on Inuyasha's head. For a moment, the hanyou didn't move, didn't breathe. He couldn't. The scent on this 'bra'…it was Kagome…purely…Kagome… He barely held down a groan as he plucked it off with his claws. He drew said item close to his nose and inhaled.

It smelled…so entirely like Kagome, it nearly killed him. Well, it felt as though it were about to kill him, anyway. His heartbeat raced as he took in the wonderfully fragrant smell of the miko, relishing her indirectly endowed scent to the fullest. The hanyou heard more movement behind him, and between knowing that Kagome was undressing, and smelling something that was entirely covered with her scent, he barely restrained himself from uttering a low growl. Wait…a _growl?_ Since when did he _growl _because of Kagome? When did he become so…_possessive…_over her?

Inuyasha shook his head lightly, attempting to shake those thoughts out of his head. _What am I thinking? I'm not…falling in _love _with Kagome…am I? _ The hanyou's eyes almost bulged out of their sockets as that thought crossed his mind, but he quickly regained his gruff demeanor. _Keh! As if I would love that pathetic, stupid, argumentative, arrogant wench! Keeeeh! _

He threw the bra towards the small heap containing Kagome's torn up blouse, her green skirt, and now her bra. Wait…her skirt was there? That meant that if he were to turn around, even just slightly, the hanyou could get a fairly explicit view…

Inuyasha dug his claws into his wrists, as if attempting to bring himself pain for every thought that, if Kagome heard it, would get him purified. _Feh! Why do these thoughts keep coming in, one after another? The heat must be diluting my resistance against this sneaky wench…keh! _

'But you know you want her…' 

The hanyou's claws nearly dug themselves into his skin. _Shut the fuck up, baka! Besides, who the hell are you?_

'_Well, I'd be that part of your brain that actually functions. You couldn't figure that out for yourself? Feh…you really _are _a baka.'_

_Who are you to call me a baka? Since when do I argue with myself, anyway? Keh!_

'Maybe you were right about the heat getting to you, but it ain't my fault you're becoming a schizophrenic.'

_Wha…? Did you just call me a schizo? Well, you know what? If I am, then you are, too, and because I'd rather stay sane, I'm ending this. Keh! I _hate_ the heat!_

The hanyou folded his arms, and after doing so, realized just how hot _he _was. He was on the verge of tearing something to shreds, courtesy of the little voice in his head. He knew he couldn't, but… _Aw _hell! _I **ain't **gonna put up with this! If that damn conscience, or voice, or whatever the hell that…that…that **thing **was, was caused because of how freaking hot I am, then I'm just gonna take of this haori. Heh…I wonder what Kagome would say…_

Inuyasha smirked at his last thought, glanced back quickly as he took note of his surroundings, and came close to tears as he whipped his head around once more. He bit his lower lip with his fang, not particularly caring whether or not it would draw blood, simply because he was deliberately trying to distract his mind from replaying the image he just witnessed.

When he had turned his head around, due to the fact he had momentarily forgotten just where he was, courtesy of his…fascinating thoughts…Inuyasha had seen Kagome slightly struggling into her shorts, probably because of the fact that she had recently put on a little weight. Inuyasha, however, saw the small amount of added weight to do wonders for Kagome, rather than any harm. In any case, because of the miko's slight struggle against the all too noticeable short shorts, her panties slid up slightly…just enough for Inuyasha's imagination to let loose.

The poor hanyou bit back a whine as the image refused to remove itself from his mind. Her skin looked so creamy, so fair, so tempting… This time, the hanyou _did _draw blood. Apparently, doing so eased him, at least a bit. Inuyasha didn't dare look back afterwards, though, for fear of witnessing something else he might later regret. He sighed, feeling the all too familiar pang inside him that called out to Kagome, reached for her, strived for her, but always somehow came to a dead end.

The hanyou shook his head lightly, and proceeded by removing his haori. After tossing the fire-rat cloth to the pile where Kagome's clothes were, he took off the white undershirt he wore below his haori, revealing his bare chest. _Well, _he thought lightly, as his skin felt somewhat relieved to have some air, _this sure as hell beats roasting like a pig. Damn…since when does it get this hot around here, anyways? Feh…I just hope Kagome doesn't try anything underhanded against me like she did back at the well…_

The hanyou grimaced at the memory of all the skin Kagome had revealed—purposely—to him. She did it all just to gain his attention…just so that she could 'sit' him. Well, it wasn't as if he didn't have it coming. He and his rather manly eyes couldn't seem to break away from the sight of Kagome's cleavage. Then, of course, when she made that outrageous offer…well, Inuyasha almost screamed in what could have been either rage or deprivation at the time. For all the hanyou knew now, it could have very well been a combination of both.

After what seemed like hours to the hanyou, due to the fact that his mind began replaying all the times he had seen Kagome in a state less than dressed, the miko finally stated something about finishing, but it barely registered in his mind. Once it did, however, he turned around to face Kagome, who had apparently stood frozen to her spot after spotting Inuyasha with his chest completely exposed. This, of course, caused the hanyou to smirk rather arrogantly.

It wasn't as if she had never seen his chest before—she always had to bandage it up and all—but somehow…this was so completely different to the miko. His skin was so radiant, perfectly toned, perfectly built. There wasn't a single flaw on the hanyou's chest, at least, not in the miko's eyes. Sadly for her, however, she couldn't seem to shift her gaze onto something a little less…distracting, which drew the attention of the very person she was practically gawking at, leaving her face to slowly shoot up in flames.

Inuyasha's golden eyes met Kagome's chocolate ones, amusement and a rather mischievous glint filling his orbs, and pure embarrassment filling hers. She quickly looked away, which, to the hanyou, gave him even more reason to speak up. However, one thing stopped him.

Kagome was wearing a rather thin, tight, white tank top, add to that the much too short shorts that only reached about five inches past her thighs, and Inuyasha couldn't muster the voice to speak.

The miko was waiting for him to say something—anything—about her open staring, but no sound came. Not even the hanyou's infamous 'keh' met her ears. Rather slowly and fearfully, she turned her head so that she would face him, only to find _him _staring at _her _as if she was a million dollars up for grabs. She sighed, figuring that Inuyasha was spending a little _too _much time with Miroku, and that the monk's actions were definitely catching on to Inuyasha, even if just a bit. She bent down in order to squat on her knees and meet Inuyasha's eyes head on, which, at the moment, were staring at her in a rather Miroku-like manner. The miko snapped her fingers, successfully gaining the attention of the hanyou, who had a light blush creeping into his cheeks.

"What do you want, wench?" Inuyasha asked gruffly, looking away from the miko as his face steadily began reddening. The last thing he needed now was for _her _to make a comment of some kind before he was even able to make one of his own.

A small smile tugged at the corners of Kagome's lips. If she had any doubts that Inuyasha wasn't staring before, she definitely didn't have them now. "Well, I don't know Inuyasha. Why don't you tell me what _you _want, since you seem to be doing much more thinking than talking today?"

Inuyasha stared at the miko curiously, unable to understand her question. What exactly did she mean when she asked that? There seemed to be a certain glint in her eyes that warned Inuyasha of a comment she wanted to make—soon. "What do you _mean _I've been thinking more than talking today?"

Kagome's eyes sparkled, as she smiled at him gently, knowing full well that he was going to make _some _kind of comeback to what she was about to say. _Well, if he doesn't like it, then that's just too bad. It's his fault for doing it anyways… _When the girl saw Inuyasha staring at her curiously, she spoke. "Well, Inuyasha, it seems to me that you seem to think when you stare, because I could've sworn I saw a look of very deep concentration filtering over your face when you were staring at my—"

Inuyasha cut her off abruptly, absolutely loathing the idea of her finishing her sentence. "Listen, wench, I don't _stare. _ Got that? Besides, I recall a certain wench gawking at me…or is it that you like to 'think' a lot too, eh, Kagome?" Inuyasha questioned smugly, enjoying every minute of watching the miko's creamy white skin flush and deepen into a rather interesting shade of red, all the while her eyes opened wide, staring in disbelief at his accusation.

"Why you...! How dare you? At least I wasn't staring at your…your…" Kagome trailed off, realizing just how stupid she must have sounded to Inuyasha, since she sounded like an utter moron to her own ears. Why couldn't she say it? One simple word was all. And yet, when referring to Inuyasha…it was as if Kagome's entire world flipped upside down.

If Inuyasha didn't feel high and mighty before, he sure did now. He smirked, half-lidded eyes staring at Kagome as though he had just conquered her territory. His only disadvantage, however, was the spike her scent took when she was trying to finish her sentence. The fact that she was so close by did not help the fact whatsoever. Add to that the fact that she was squatting no more than three or four feet in front of his face, and with those tiny shorts… Still, the hanyou held strong, refusing to give in to Kagome yet _again _without the said person even realizing it. He cleared his throat quickly, his infamous smirk dancing on his lips, and took it upon himself to finish poor Kagome's sentence. Well, he would finish it at his own pace, knowing full well there was too much fun in torturing the flushed miko to let it pass. This…was just about to get interesting…

The girl looked up from her stuttering to stare at the bare-chested inu-hanyou, clearly hearing him clear his throat so as to say something. What he was going to say, however, was what created the tension within Kagome. Add to that the glint she saw in his eye—the glint he often had when he was about to make some cocky remark to the miko—and she just _knew _she wasn't going to like whatever it was Inuyasha was about to say.

He glanced at the miko mischievously, sensing the anxiety coming off the miko in waves. His smirk became all the more apparent as he spoke. "Well, Kagome, what is it you obviously weren't staring at? I might have an idea…would you like me to help you out?"

If anything struck a nerve in Kagome, it was that. If she thought she was red as a cherry before, she obviously hadn't expected this comment, for now, she was as red as red could ever be. The fact that he was even _offering _to finish the stuttered statement almost drove her to wits end. The fact that he _knew _she couldn't, however, unnerved her all the more. She glanced at him, only to find a victorious look in his eye, as if saying 'Now you know how it feels, don't you?'

The girl sighed, stared at the floor beneath her for some time, and when she finally looked up once more, Inuyasha locked her gaze with his shining pools of gold. His lips parted, and for a moment, Kagome lost her strength, thinking the uses those lips could play other than speaking, which caused her to land flat on her rear, her strength having vanished in the blink of an eye. Inuyasha noticed this, though he didn't understand why it happened, for which the miko was grateful. "Well, would you like some help, or not?" the hanyou prompted.

Kagome gulped. What was she to do? If she said no, he would somehow, someway, force her into saying…saying…_it. _ Normally, it wouldn't be such a problem. But like before, when it came time to refer to Inuyasha's…_it…_ Well, then saying _it _was a problem. Her cheeks were still rather red, but just as it was slowly dissipating, the rosy hue came right back. Her mind, quite literally, screamed. _AUGH! Why does he have to make everything so…so…difficult! Kami…why me? Why not, say, I don't know…someone **else**? If I tell him I don't want to talk to him about it, he'll probably force it out of me by doing something perverted like, oh, I don't know, cornering me, like earlier. What has gotten into him lately anyway? I mean, I know he's been spending waaaaay too much time with Miroku, but still. He's been acting very strangely lately, and I don't have the slightest as to why…_

'_Yes, you do, you baka! You just don't want to admit it!' _A voice in the girl's mind retorted.

Was she going mad? Losing her sanity? Or…did she really just hear something, or rather, _someone _arguing with her? Did that voice really just say something? It sounded much like herself…

'_Yes, you heard me, Kagome. I'm that part of you that can and does make sense of things. Should come around more often. You've been hanging around that baka you love a little too much…and he's been spending too much time with that other perverted baka.'_

Kagome's eyes widened, and though she heard Inuyasha's prompting, she heard that voice in her mind more clearly. So she _was _losing it. Great. That was **exactly **what she wanted right now. The girl sighed. _I mean, what worse can happen right now? I mean, the only thing that's worse than my mind talking back at me, at the moment, would have to be Inuyasha doing something I'd hate like…finishing my sent—_

"You know, Kagome, you seem to barely be paying attention. I wonder why? Hmm…well, in any case, I want to know: do you have trouble saying the word…oh…penis?" Inuyasha curiously asked, his curiosity cleverly masking his amusement at the girl's spacey-ness.

Kagome's head whipped upwards, facing Inuyasha, and as soon as his words processed clearly in her mind, her cheeks reddened so much, that one would believe she had been sitting outside, right under the sun's rays all day. She nearly growled at her humiliation, knowing full well that it was all that voice's fault. Whether that voice was herself or not, she wasn't sure, but she definitely knew that her current embarrassment was caused by it. _Yup…this is definitely great. My mind is arguing with me…Inuyasha thinks I can't say penis…he thinks I can't talking about _his _penis…just…freaking…great._

'_Well, if you'd have listened to me at the beginning rather than question my existence, then you wouldn't be in this mess, would you?' _The voice stated, thick sarcasm evident in the voice's tone.

Kagome almost groaned. _Not you again! What are you, anyways? I know there aren't two of me up in there, so spill. Just what are you? Who are you?_

'_I'm your conscience, baka! Wow, you really _have _been spending too much time with Inuyasha. Jeez, what am I going to do up in here when you get together with him? Rot? Yeah, that's something to look forward to…oh happy day.'_

_What? My…conscience? But…a conscience is to make you feel bad when you do something wrong, or to alert you when you should fix something, or to give you a clue when you did something wrong even though you can't remember it…_

'_And just **where **did you hear that one? Look, I'm here to tell you one thing, and one thing only, so listen up. Inuyasha has feelings for you. He's attracted to you in more ways than one, him being a man and all. Kagome, if you couldn't realize that before, just what were you paying attention to? The signs are all there: he stares at you, he talks to you, he doesn't like it when you go home, and lately when you do, he follows…I mean, what isn't there to get?'_

Just as Kagome was about to reply, she felt a grasp on her shoulders and…claws? When she looked up from her reverie, she looked into golden orbs, which stared into her chocolate ones with an intensity she couldn't even dream to comprehend. She opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out.

Realizing this, the hanyou smirked once more, knowing he won yet another little of their battles. Just as he was about to retort, however, her scent spiked _again, _causing our poor little hanyou to almost fall backwards. This action, of course, highly confused Kagome, which led her to finding her voice once more.

"Umm…are you all right, Inuyasha?" The miko questioned curiously yet somewhat concerned.

"Keh! Stupid wench, of course I'm fine! But let me ask _you _something." The tone he used in that statement rather unnerved the miko, but she allowed him to continue anyway. "Why is it…that whenever my **penis**," Here, Kagome noticed a large emphasis on the word, "becomes part of the conversation, you automatically zone out, blush, or…I don't know…stutter?" Inuyasha interrogated, a mischievous glint entering his golden eyes.

Kagome fidgeted under his gaze, not knowing how to respond without embarrassing herself. She could feel the cherry colored blush creeping up her neck. _'Probably giving Inuyasha that feeling of victory and masculine accomplishment those baka men always say they have' _Kagome figured. Finally, the miko decided to completely ignore the question and change topics, as if she had never heard the question in the first place. She then smiled brightly to Inuyasha, plastering the most innocent look she could muster on her flawless face. "Well, I'm going to go for a walk. See you Inuyasha!"

Before Inuyasha could say anything in response, however, Kagome was out the door, only gracing Inuyasha with a short glimpse of the heavenly body he wholeheartedly adored before exiting. The image of Kagome attempting to fit into her shorts replayed in his mind once more, and he began to slowly, but surely, feel himself harden. At that very moment, Kagome's absence was very much appreciated, for if she had seen what just happened to his steadily growing member… Finally, after a bit of time, as was obviously essential for Inuyasha in order to present himself to Kagome without looking like, well, pretty much a horn-dog, the inu-hanyou left the hut and began running in a random direction he chose. What else was there to do in that hut anyway?

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Outside, Kagome had begun sprinting. Whether or not Inuyasha was following her, the teenage girl didn't know, though she prayed to all that was holy to get far enough so as to avoid being sniffed out. However, should he be chasing her, the girl figured, she already had somewhat of a head start. 'He'll probably catch up quickly though…' Kagome thought grimly. Right after the thought trailed through her mind, the miko heard said person call for her, supplying the girl with a sudden burst of speed she wasn't even aware she was capable of possessing.

"**Kagome! Where are you wench?" **The hanyou bellowed through the thick trees of the forest, in hopes of hearing some kind of response from the missing priestess. Inuyasha grunted moments after calling out, due to the fact that the desired response never seemed to come. His molten gold orbs were swirling with impatience, along with frustration. _'Damn it, Kagome! Where the fuck are you?' _ The hanyou's mind seemed to be screaming at Inuyasha for allowing her to leave so quickly without his able to stop her before she got too far. Inuyasha would have used his nose to aid him and help him track the girl down, but because Kagome had been so close to him for so long, practically everything smelled of said girl.

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Kagome was leaning on her knees, resting her back against a tree while she took a short break from her run in order to gain some air. When was the last time she had been forced to run at such a speed for so long? The girl couldn't even dream to remember. She almost always rode on Inuyasha's back, and if that were unavailable, she'd have been riding on Kirara with Sango. She normally wouldn't have been forced to run—especially at such a pace meant to outrun Inuyasha.

As the girl gulped down gallons' worth of air, she began hearing the calling for her name once more. "Kagome! Kaaaaagooooome! Dammit all wench! Where in all the seven hells are you hiding?" she heard Inuyasha's voice shout through the thicket of the forest trees. Though the sound of his voice made her groan in agony, for her body no longer willed itself to move in order to avoid him, she had to wonder why he couldn't sniff her out. _I mean, he usually doesn't take so long to find me. So…why now? _The girl mused, preparing herself to run again, albeit grudgingly. She raised herself to stand up straight, and as she heard her name being called out once more, she began to sprint, making sure to make the least amount of noise as possible. Her body protested against the breathless running, which at the time, felt like nothing short of a slow, painful torture. _I've gotta keep running…gotta keep running…I can't…let him…catch me…_

During this time, Inuyasha had continued calling out for Kagome…that is, until he heard a rustle of movement coming from his right side. His head snapped to that direction, attempting to identify some kind of movement amongst the leaves. To his delight, he heard the very faint stepping of leaves, then the light thumping of running—maybe sprinting­—on the ground. He smirked to himself, fully knowing that it was Kagome, and no one else. _So…the sneaky wench thinks she's going to get away, does she? Keh…what a baka._

The hanyou began jogging lightly in that direction, deciding that this little game of cat and mouse was about to prove rather interesting. _Even though…I still wonder why she'd even bother going to the stream around here…it isn't as if she has one of those 'swimsuits' she's told me about. Well, I don't think it is anyway…it _looks _like regular clothes to me…_ Well, long story short, Inuyasha's train of thought diverted back to the picture of Kagome fitting into her clothes, accelerating his feet faster than he planned. His body beckoned her—called her name, practically willed her to him. But did she listen? _Not one damn fucking bit…keh! Damn that stupid wench!_

Kagome began hearing steps not too far behind her. Had Inuyasha heard her sprinting, despite the fact that she could barely hear it herself? _No way…he can't have! Why is he even following me? _The distraught girl pondered over this, running faster and faster with every passing second. The miko's body was beginning to go numb all over, temporarily granting Kagome the release of pain until she at least finished her run. Because of the numbing, however, her steps became quicker and her body urged forward, the steps behind her gradually becoming louder. _Why does this stupid river have to be so far away?_

Inuyasha could see Kagome's hair from a distance—her raven tresses glowing in the rays of the sun and providing Inuyasha a way to follow Kagome more easily. They were quickly nearing the not-so-commonly-known stream inside the depths of Inuyasha's Forest. The hanyou was still perplexed as to how she had come upon the river in the first place—he thought he had been the only one to know its location. '_Well,' _the voice in Inuyasha's head snorted, _'obviously you were wrong.' _

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Kagome's eyes brightened as her eyes fell upon the glittering stream. The water was clear as the sky, and the blue, vibrant as can be and glittering like the starts in the night sky. Before the girl could do anything to stop it, her body gave out, and collapsed right there, on the stream's bank. Her knees had given way, sinking into the damp ground at the stream's edge, while the girl's hands fell into the water to grasp its silky waves and splash them on her face and body. As she did so, the miko had quite apparently forgotten about the inu-hanyou who had been following not too far behind.

As Kagome was splashing herself with water, however, Inuyasha had stepped out of the thicket of the forest and out into the open light, where he found Kagome sprinkling her sweaty body with water, dampening that white tank-top of hers…

Inuyasha winced, and decided to turn his head to the opposite direction. He felt his cheeks lightly burning, probably due to the fact that the water had yet to completely soak into the cloth. The hanyou's head began turning to Kagome's direction, but he stopped himself halfway. If he saw Kagome like that… _If I saw her like that…Kami only knows just how strong my self-control will be. Damn you, Miroku…what in seven hells have you done to me?_

Inuyasha cleared his throat loudly, attempting to gain Kagome's attention. When he sensed no reaction from her coming his way, he decided to step a little ways behind her. Again, the hanyou cleared his throat. To Inuyasha's dismay, the oblivious youth paid no mind to him, deciding to soak herself in the crystal clear blue waters of the stream. Was it possible she knew he was right there, and decided to pass her time by physically torturing him?

Inuyasha sighed loudly, making sure not to allow himself to take even one more step closer to the zoned out priestess. Just **what **would she do without him? _Keh…one of these days, she's going to get raped, and it's going to be all her fault. Damn wench never pays attention to anything…does she?_

"Kagome, what are you doing?"

It was a simple question, really. But the reaction Kagome gave Inuyasha that startled the poor hanyou beyond belief told him otherwise. A shriek, a trip, and another scream later, Kagome finally realized it was Inuyasha who was positioned directly behind her. She gulped in air, as if she had been running this entire time…or was she holding her breath in anticipation? The answer to that, Inuyasha did not know, but he most definitely _did _know why Kagome loathed getting wet in white blouses…

Kagome held her hand to her heart, as if clutching it for dear life itself. Her eyes were awash with a mix of surprise, astonishment, and anger. She surely wasn't expecting Inuyasha to be standing almost right behind her, and she _really _wasn't expecting said action to occur while she had a white tank top on. However, once her mind registered that she was indeed sporting a white tank top, and that she was most definitely wet all over, and that she was _certainly _supplying Inuyasha with, what was probably, the most amazing view of his life, she shouted the first thing she could think of: osuwari.

"Osuwari! Osuwari! Osuwari! Osuwari! Osuwari! Osuwari! OSUWARI!"

The yells were as loud as ever, the commands more demanding than Inuyasha could have ever imagined, but when said person closed his eyes to block out the expected pain, he felt nothing. For a moment, if even that long, Inuyasha thought he had been 'sat' to the earth's core, had died, and had gone to Heaven. Fortunately for him, though, nothing had taken place…at all.

He opened his eyes tentatively, only to meet the very shocked, very angry, and indescribably frustrated eyes of Higurashi Kagome. He parted his lips so as to speak, and when he did, his voice was thick with an arrogance and pride he didn't even know he was capable of supplying. "Well, well, well…it looks like you can't do a damn thing to me…bitch."

Kagome's eyes flashed with an anger unknown to any age of man, and, with a single movement, she had pinned Inuyasha down—her arms pinning his down, her legs forcing his to the dirt below them, and her eyes pinning him with the cruelest, darkest look he had ever seen.

…And yet, all he was capable of doing at the moment was keep himself from groaning by biting his lip, due to the fact that Kagome was pressing against his steadily growing member, but thankfully for the hanyou, the miko was too blinded by anger to even notice.

"Inuyasha! Why are you following me? Why can't you just _leave me alone?" _The girl screamed, her lungs already tiring out from those two, simple questions. The only response she received as she unconsciously pressed herself even more against her beloved hanyou, was most assuredly one she would never forget, and one to which she didn't even know how to respond.

The hanyou's eyes—molten gold and swimming with that same quality, that same emotion that Kagome totally denied, refusing to allow her heart to be shattered by a mere golden-eyed, silver-haired boy—were telling Kagome everything she wanted to hear but refused to accept. His voice was low, barely audible—only a whisper on the wind. But even if it hadn't been so quiet, even if waves were crashing down upon them, tornadoes were riding between them, or the entire world was shaking to the point of destruction, Kagome would have heard his words as loudly as she would have, had he said them through a microphone directly next to her.

"Kagome…I want you. _Now."_

**Author's Note: **AAAAHH! I'M SO SORRY! SO VERY SOOOOOORRY! PLEASE FORIVE ME! AHHHHH! –SOBS LIKE CRAZY IDIOT ON CRACK—I…can't believe I didn't update for a month and a HALF! AHH! –DIES- And you know what the worst part was? I finished half this chapter…by December 28, 2005. This entire month, I've been working, reading, working, playing guitar, reading, working, talking online, going to CCD, going to friends' houses, working, more guitar, and all that. The point of the matter is…is that I should have never taken so long to update one chapter. I…am so…so…sorry. But you know what? If you guys really want me to update sooner, send me an email. I tend to erm…READ fanfictions instead of write them at times. Err…eheh? Anywho, I hope the chapter was somewhat enjoyable! And…next chapter is my last for this story, and then boom—it's over. Afterwards, I have to finish writing my Zelda one, write at least a couple more chaps to my original story, write something else (some short stories), and THEN I'll start my new fanfic. Anyways, please review! And happy early Valentine's Day! -gives everyone who reviews…more cookies- WOO! (Kudos to everyone who reviews!)


	5. Chapter Five

**Disclaimer: **Inuyasha isn't mine, Santa didn't give him to me for Christmas, and I didn't get him for my birthday… AUGH! Damn it! Why isn't he mine yet? T.T

**Warning: For all of you who do not wish to read the lemon in this chapter, please message me so that I can send you the clean… or lemon-less chapter via email. Do NOT start bashing this fic because of the lemon. I am giving you the option to obtain the clean version, and if it isn't to your liking, then I do not wish to hear your complaints. Thank you.**

Chapter Five: I Taste Like Cabbage 

Kagome froze. The words seemed to taunt her, mock her; tantalize her very being. The words she had yearned to hear for so long seemed to whisper on the wind– leave no trace of existence. A palpable thing, Inuyasha's gentle words echoed inside her mind, lifted the weight she never knew she carried. Kagome simply couldn't believe it, believe them; believe _him._

Before she could even think to respond to Inuyasha's words, a rough, yet gentle hand brushed against her cheek, causing her focus to spiral into a sea of incoherent thought, a place where all she could remember was the intensity of the molten-golden eyes staring up from beneath her at nothing, no one but her.

Inuyasha's golden eyes locked with the miko's, and for a moment, if nothing more, the hanyou could have sworn he saw a flicker of emotion in her eyes. An emotion that, depending on its sincerity and fortitude, could change someone's, namely Inuyasha's, world forever. He dared to hope, dared to take a chance, dared to dream. She had freed him, cared for him, and to some extent in Inuyasha's mind, she might even love him. In return, the inu-hanyou realized he had abandoned her time and again for Kikyou–that he never once thanked her; gave her everything of which she was worthy. Kagome deserved the entire world, even beyond that, and to his dismay, Inuyasha realized the most he could offer was his mind, his heart, his all.

Because of this, he decided to give her what he could. He wanted her, and only her, more than anything he could ever remember wanting in his life. He realized Kagome's countenance– became aware of the waves of shock and befuddlement coming from her. It dawned on him that she believed he still felt the same love for Kikyou he had long ago…that he hadn't truly moved on. This enlightenment, however, did not help to ease the inu-hanyou's conscience whatsoever. Knowing what the miko's thoughts were did not make anything at all easier for Inuyasha, and instead stung him with a pang of guilt, a wash of remorse. Had he only known sooner…had he only realized…would things have been different? At that moment, Inuyasha decided that he would prove to her how much she meant to him–that if he lost her, he would no longer have a reason to live, a purpose for which to fight…that if she slipped away from his grasp, he would lose his entire world in the matter of a heartbeat.

So…he kissed her.

Not a creature stirred; not a sound was made. Everything seemed to grow still in that one instant, as if the whole world had continued being so as to live up and witness that one moment–a moment frozen in time.

Kagome's heart skipped a beat…maybe even two. The moment Inuyasha's lips pressed against hers, she seemed paralyzed for a moment, forgetting to respond to the action. Everything she had dreamed for, everything she seemed to care about, everything she seemed to worry about…it was all forgotten, down to the last exam. Nothing–family, friends, school, Naraku, Kikyou, or anyone else–seemed to invade her mind in that one second, that one moment that meant more to her than anything she could have possibly imagined.

Inuyasha, having been wanting Kagome that entire day, couldn't help but relish the feel of Kagome's petal soft lips against his. Her mere touch blinded all his other senses, any other thought. As she finally responded to the kiss, losing her momentary shock, Kagome's lips caressed his with a feather-light gentleness, but with a force as demanding as his own. The act began to unleash a nearly uncontrollable need within Inuyasha– an almost unattainable goal for which the hanyou did not dare strive. He began to press himself against Kagome, slowly, and probably unnoticeably to Kagome, switching their positions.

Before the miko could even bother to notice, Inuyasha rested above her entirely soaked body, making sure not to weigh down on her. Perhaps because of his position, Inuyasha became bolder, and as he did so, his desire for Kagome intensified, making it that much harder to quell his growing need. So far, the hanyou had been kissing Kagome's lips, or better said, _devouring _her lips, preventing a chance for the girl to breathe. The moment he allowed so much as a second to pass without his lips on hers, Kagome gulped down gallons of air at a time, leaving her guard down to Inuyasha's current goal, his desire.

The hanyou allowed the girl nothing more than a few quick breaths of air before locking his lips with hers once more. This time, however, Inuyasha felt too needy–too desperate to hold back, and so, he slipped his tongue out to brush across the miko's lips–to plead desperately for entrance. It took no longer than half a second for Kagome to grant him permission. The moment he obtained her acceptance, however, the hanyou's tongue slid into her mouth, exploring every corner of it, memorizing every part of what was his sweet tasting heaven.

Kagome couldn't control herself. The indescribable emotions he made her feel, the thoughts he instigated within the hazy blur of her mind, the reactions her body made to him…they were all unfamiliar to her. Everything he did to her–every touch, every kiss, every look–they all stirred something within of her; something of which she wasn't familiar, that made her need Inuyasha more than anything she could ever dream to fathom. It was a burning sensation–one she had never once felt. There was something about this fire…something about this burn…there was just _something _about it that made her feel so empty…so in absolute _need _of Inuyasha.

She felt Inuyasha delve his tongue into her mouth–felt it explore every area, every sector, every hidden place he could find in it. As he did so, the same burning sensation as earlier steadily grew stronger. What it was, Kagome was not sure. She did realize, however, that before Inuyasha had finished his exploration, she began to feel heat at her core–a strong, burning heat that she knew could only be extinguished by one thing…

At this point, Kagome knew. She just _knew. _She did not just _want_ Inuyasha; she did not just _desire _Inuyasha. No, at this point of time and place, Kagome knew that she _needed _Inuyasha–to live, to breathe, to cry, to scream…to do all those things, Inuyasha was needed. Without him, she would have no one to live for, no one to make her laugh as if the world were an immaculately beautiful place, or to smile as if nothing could ever go wrong, the way only Inuyasha could. Without him, she would lose her very being.

Inuyasha parted from Kagome briefly, so as to allow the girl to breathe. He broke away from her, raising himself up in order to view her, or in his mind, to 'inspect' her, though he was already aware she had no flaws. As soon as he took a good look, he just as quickly regretted the idea. The sight of Kagome still in a completely soaked through, _white_ tank top, the material clinging to her very visible breasts, her chest heaving from the nonstop torture he performed on her, and those much too short shorts only making it all the more clear to the hanyou that her heaven-sent body was completely untainted… Inuyasha instantly felt weakened at the picture of her.

Instantaneously, a most likely noticeable portion of blood had left his brain and moved down to a currently much more active member of his body. The miko's raven tresses were sprawled about her angelic face and her eyes, lidded with desire, clouded with lust, darted towards him with a look begging him for more. Her fair, creamy skin glistened with the mixture of sweat and water, dripping down every part of her body, making her breasts all the more visible to Inuyasha's eyes, and her lips were puffy and red after having been thoroughly tried and kissed by none other than the on looking hanyou.

Everything about the girl unsettled him, enticed him; inveigled him without the miko even taking notice. That look in her eyes… He knew what she wanted, for if anything, he wanted it more than she did. And yet…something about that thought, something about going all the way through…something about that idea bothered him. For some reason, Inuyasha couldn't help but feel as though there something holding, not him, but Kagome back. That there was something she continued hiding, but wouldn't dare tell. As if telling that one secret could change Inuyasha's entire life, perhaps even his own fate.

'_And just who the **fuck **are you trying to convince here?'_

_Great, _grimaced Inuyasha. _Just damn great. That voice is back…and at what might be the worst possible time…_ever_'_

'_Hey, it's not my fault you're thinking like a baka! If it weren't for your idiocy, I wouldn't even be here!'_

Inuyasha let out a low rumble in his throat, which went completely unnoticed by the panting girl before him. _'All right, fine. Just what the hell do you want?'_

The voice sounded a bit too smug for Inuyasha's liking. In spite of that, the hanyou continued to listen. _'Well, here's the thing: Kagome still thinks you love Kikyou, and that would be the answer to the question you asked not too long ago. See? I can be of use…when I want to, anyway.'_

Inuyasha inwardly scowled. _'And just what business of yours is it? I don't think I ever asked you to tell me wh—'_

'_Excuses, excuses.' _The voiced droned. It seemed to be fine, but it began to speak quickly, almost catching Inuyasha off guard. _'Now then, one more thing: it might rai—'_

'_Would you get out of my fucking head already? Ugh…I can't even think in peace!'_

'_But…you don't understand! The weather—it's very hot, and I'm telling you now: at the rate you're going, you and your baka self are going to be in the middle of something…interesting, to say in the least…and the humidity is going to make it rain soon and I—'_

Inuyasha quieted the voice, deciding to resolve his problem by completely ignoring it. At the moment, there was a practically naked Kagome in front of him, probably waiting for him to kiss her once more, and he sure as hell wasn't about to pass up that offer. When had he become so bold with Kagome, he wasn't sure. However, he was completely aware of the fact that she wanted him just about as much as he wanted her. Because of that, the action was permissible. The hanyou smirked. _'Keh! Even if it wasn't "permissible", and Kagome would've liked it, I _still _wouldn't have passed up an offer like that.'_

Inuyasha once again hovered over Kagome, pressing himself only slightly against her, in fear of pressing on her _too _roughly, feeling parts of Kagome that best be left untouched without her consent, and then paying the consequences by losing most all his self-control. As he did so, her eyes stared into his, speaking a thousand words with but a single glance. Despite the recent turn of events, Inuyasha wasn't totally assured of Kagome's feelings for him. Sure, he kissed her, and she responded. But in all truth, what did that really say? Did she only care for him, or did she… '_Don't finish that, because if you do, you'll feel more than just compelled to ask her and find out. Kami only knows what kind of mayhem that'll cause…'_

Inuyasha lowered himself to her lips, stopping directly above them. They were still rather swollen and red from earlier, the hanyou noticed. Of course, this only seemed to goad Inuyasha into kissing Kagome even more than he already felt obliged to. His actions apparently confused the girl, judging by the now clearing sparkle in her eye–one that was, only moment ago, clouded by lust.

"I…Inuyasha?" Her voice was timid, uncertain. It even seemed as such in her head, even though Kagome hadn't meant to sound as much. She was more confused by Inuyasha's actions than anything else. She felt it. She knew something was holding him back, though she didn't know why. Was it strange for him? Did he feel uncomfortable kissing her? Or maybe it was…_'Is it because of Kikyou? Does he…does he truly still love her? Would rather be…rather be…' _

Kagome cut herself off before she could finish that question. The mere thought of it brought stinging tears to her eyes, ones she blinked back, but didn't go unnoticed by Inuyasha.

"Kagome? What's wrong? Why are you…crying?" He asked softly, more kindly than Kagome had ever heard him speak to anyone else.

Anyone else…except Kikyou, of course.

Stubbornly, Kagome turned her head to the side, the soft blades of grass tickling her cheek. She had never once kissed a boy before, much less a hanyou. She had never known the exhilarating feeling, one of which made her feel as though she was completely accepted–completely loved. A feeling she never wished to lose, never wished to let out of her sight. Inuyasha's lips were as soft as silk, probably more so. If he had been wanting to kiss _her _rather than Kagome…

'_That isn't…that's not what he…he couldn't have wanted that…right? I mean, he kissed me…not Kikyou. I'm the one practically pinned to the ground…not…Kikyou…' _But…what if he loved Kikyou because of who she was? What if he only lov—_'Don't kid yourself.' _–liked Kagome because of nothing more than her body? Was that it?

Again, Inuyasha pressed his question. "Kagome…" He placed a hand on her cheek and made her face him, made her gaze into those pools of flaming gold, those orbs of shining light…a light that brightened her world every day, yet would be able to lead her into a false sense of protection, a sense of what Kagome could have only once hoped to be love.

As if the mere whisper of her name coming from his lips pulled the trigger, raindrops began falling from the heavens above them, one catching Inuyasha's attention by landing on his silvery mane. Kagome gave a weak smile as the raindrops began to come at a faster pace, warning the two of a downpour.

Kagome continued to stare straight into Inuyasha's eyes, opening her mouth to answer. Her eyes shown with unshed tears, and her woebegone countenance was more than obvious to hanyou directly above her. "Inuyasha…do you love me?"

It was a simple yes or no question. In reality, that really was all it was. Nothing more than a simple, little question…right? So…if that was the case, why did Inuyasha find it to be the hardest question to answer in his entire life? He…didn't know what to tell her…

'_Kikyou died for me. I don't want to die with Kikyou, but…can I truly afford as much? I mean, she followed me in death, didn't she? But…then why meet Kagome? Why be put through this kind of decision? How can I possibly leave with Kikyou and just leave Kagome behind without anyone to…to…'_

He wanted to finish the sentence, but Inuyasha couldn't find himself doing as much. How could he? Someone of his background, of his nature…he didn't deserve her. Even if he could were to give her the world, she shouldn't feel the least bit inclined to stay with him, to be with him. Kagome deserved better than that—much better than that. She deserved every beautiful thing in the universe; every little thing in the world that held magnificence deserved nothing more than to be put in Kagome's hands.

The hanyou sighed, looking into Kagome's eyes—eyes that were filled with a sorrow he would never want to experience, but knew that, for Kagome, he might just have to endure the slightest bit of it. She was waiting for an answer. He knew she was. And yet…he couldn't seem to answer it. He wanted to tell her he loved her but… '_Hell, I want to tell her I love her, that I adore her very presence, that I don't, and never will, deserve her. But…I'm not good with words. If I say something…damn, I know I'll screw it up…damn it!'_

Before Inuyasha could even finish thinking, the silence seemed to have hurt Kagome. In her eyes, she saw it as an unanswerable question for the hanyou, and so, with near-trembling fingers, she placed her small hands on his chest, and gently tried pushing him away. When he didn't budge, and merely gave her a bewildered stare, she shook her head and sighed.

"Inuyasha…I think the answer to my question is pretty obvious. Your silence is more than enough for me. Now, let me go." The miko stated, a strong tone of dejection thick in her words. She stirred beneath him, wanting more than anything to just go back home and avoid thinking about Inuyasha—avoid thinking about what had happened, and why she wasn't accepted.

The hanyou, though desiring more than anything to keep her there and explain to her all his thoughts, his dreams, his ambitions—ones that specifically included her—he moved to the side, sitting back with one knee propped up so as to serve as an arm rest for the hanyou's right arm. His bright, golden eyes followed the miko's movements as she rose from the ground, dusting herself lightly and stared at him for but a moment. Finally, with a sigh full of remorse, she walked off towards the forest; raindrops making her figure seem translucent, granting her an image of absolute grace.

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Kagome's head hung low, her body still shaking from the recent encounter with her much too favorite hanyou. Her raven tresses were plastered to her neck and shoulders, acting as a garment of protection from the raindrops, though not doing a very good job. Her eyes were stinging with tears, but the miko refused to let them fall, refusing to cry yet again over the one man whose heart she sought. She walked along the muddy path through the forest, her feet obviously moving with a will of their own, because her mind was in a realm where all she saw, all she _knew, _was a pair of golden eyes; the passion in their gaze…or was it sorrow, filling their depths…sent her cries of regret, begging her for forgiveness.

'_Just keep walking Kagome…it'll be all right. So he doesn't love you…it's…it's okay…'_

The mere thought, the simple acceptance of Inuyasha's rejection…it sent tremors jolting throughout Kagome's entire body. Her legs began to run in a pathetic attempt to get away from it all: all the lies, the deception, the false emotions…

And before she knew it, the tears were streaming down her cheeks as quickly as the rain was pouring overhead.

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Inuyasha sighed as he rose from the ground, his chest, hair and hakama drenched from the falling rainwater. He hadn't taken note of just how long he had sat there, waiting, hoping for Kagome to come back to him, if not to speak with him, then to at least use that wretched spell to take out her anger…

Instinctively, the hanyou's right hand went up to feel the necklace, only to be reminded that it was no longer in his possession.

'_That's right,' _Inuyasha mused, _'it broke earlier today. Huh…I guess I never realized just how weird it is knowing that Kagome is completely powerless against me. That's…that's when all this started, isn't it? When I lost the spell beads…'_

Inuyasha smirked despite himself. So…she was _completely _powerless, wasn't she? If that were true…then that would mean that, even if Kagome didn't want to see his face, or listen to reason, she wouldn't have any other choice, right? That meant that…if Inuyasha _really _wanted Kagome…

Inuyasha snorted. _'Well, no fucking kidding I want Kagome, dumbass.'_

With that in mind, Inuyasha set out, the rain beating hard on his back, his hopes to finally tell Kagome everything higher than it ever had been.

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Kagome sprinted all the way to the hut, give or take a few slips in which she lightly scraped a knee or elbow, or received a few cuts in her arms and legs. Either way, it didn't really matter now, did it? So long as Inuyasha didn't love her…didn't _need _her… Well, in such a case, nothing mattered anymore. Not to Kagome, it didn't.

As she stepped into the hut rather shakily, due to the cuts and scrapes here or there, her body dripped with every step, making the small trek to the back right corner of the hut, where her yellow bag was, all the more difficult. At the moment, her goal was to reach the bag so as to treat her small wounds, and even _that _seemed to knock the wind out of her. It was only a few steps that needed to be taken, and the miko couldn't even hope to achieve that goal without a good deal of difficulty.

She sighed, her head hanging low, and her heart feeling as though it had been shattered, repaired, and broken again repeatedly. Slowly, she made her way to the bright yellow bag, filled with food, items, and a very full, and very desired, first aid kit, all of which were from her time in the future. When the girl reached into her bag, she rummaged around it, in search of her beloved first aid kit, but before she could have even hoped to put it to use so as to bandage all her cuts, the door behind her swung open furiously, swinging quickly enough to bang on the wall beside it with a penetrating thud, despite the loud tapping of the rain outside.

For a moment, Kagome's heart stopped, for the second time that day. She glanced up from her attempts to put her first aid kit to use, only to drop it instantly as she saw the fierceness burning inside Inuyasha's golden orbs. For the first time, Kagome saw Inuyasha wearing all his emotions on his sleeve; saw the fight amongst all the different feelings trying to take control of the dangerous glimmer in the hanyou's molten pools of gold. A thousand emotions melded together into one glance, one look.

'_What…? His eyes…they're filled with sadness, fear, determination…' _Kagome looked closer, just as the hanyou stared back at her, waiting for the miko to say something, _anything;_ waiting for her to tell him to leave. _'There's something else there, too. But it can't be…it's not…it _couldn't _be…'_

Without another thought, Inuyasha swiftly made his way over to Kagome, who stood up as quickly as possible, leaning on the wall for support. She gazed into his eyes as he neared her, once again witnessing the fight for control amongst thousands of emotions. The one that stood out however… _'No. Don't…don't do this to yourself, Kagome. It's not…it's not love, and it could never _be _love, because he doesn't love you, remember? He…he never said as much, anyway…'_

A sudden surge of hope coursed through Kagome's veins, causing her to feel as though she had seen for the first time that day, only to find Inuyasha less than four feet in front of her, staring her down with nothing short of a ferocious gaze.

"I…Inuyasha?"

The hanyou before her: strong, loyal, kind (despite his gruff demeanor), and always, _always _caring, if not to anyone else, then to Kagome, at the very least. But today…it seemed as though today, a certain aggression filled the hanyou, adding a certain strength to every one of his movements. As Kagome stared into his eyes, glowing bright with a burning emotion—one whose particular presence she refused to admit—Inuyasha placed an arm on either side of her, trapping Kagome in the corner of the hut. She gasped lightly, obviously not expecting such an entrance, or said action from the hanyou, but was quickly silenced by none other than him.

"Listen, wench," he began in a rather choked tone. Just what made him seem so different to her right now, anyway? "I'm going to tell you something, and damn it, you're going to listen, got that?"

Kagome nodded slightly, so as to assure the hanyou of her attentiveness. She could not, however, muster the strength, or the voice, to actually say as much.

Inuyasha continued, his eyes never breaking from hers, causing shivers to run down her spine. "I don't know what the _hell _it is that you thought back there, back at the river—" As he said this, a low growl uttered deep in his throat, "—but I _swear_ that if you fucking think that you can just get up and _leave_ without letting me give you a damn answer, I'll do more than just say a few little words."

The air was knocked out of Kagome as she continued to stare into Inuyasha's eyes, steadily nearing hers, as well as Inuyasha's lips. What did he mean by that? He…hadn't answered her question? _'But…I thought that by just…well, staying silent, that he…that he meant…'_

Forceful lips on hers snapped her out of her thoughts, earning a small gasp from the girl. Trapping her the in the corner of the hut, Inuyasha pressed himself closer to her, making sure she had absolutely no way of escape. In doing so, he pressed his lips against hers with an indescribable desire masked behind the gentleness in which he kissed her.

Inuyasha uttered a low growl, causing slight reverberations in the kiss. His lips claimed hers unmercifully, caressing hers with a feather-light touch. He sucked lightly on her bottom lip, savoring every touch. His actions brought about a soft moan from Kagome, only enforcing Inuyasha's lips to become bolder.

Instantly, Kagome felt Inuyasha's tongue tracing her lips, pleading for entrance. She sighed, granting him the invitation he so desired. Once again, for the second time that day, Inuyasha devoured her mouth, explored every bit of it without mercy. His touch, his kiss…everything about Inuyasha soothed Kagome; gave her a peace she desperately needed. All sensible thought was lost as Inuyasha pressed himself more to her, closing any possible space that might have been between them previously.

Inuyasha lowered his left hand, which had been resting on the wall, down to Kagome's waist, quickly followed by his right, until he was able to hold Kagome steady in front of him. Gradually, Kagome's arms looped around Inuyasha's neck, granting Kagome easier means of raising herself to Inuyasha's height. Sadly for both of them, however, air was an essential part of life, and they broke off, Kagome leaning on Inuyasha's chest, sighing softly against it.

Inuyasha wasn't satisfied. The aforementioned dissatisfaction, however, did not come about because of any lack of enthusiasm on Kagome's part. No…it was more because of the fact that he _wanted _more, that he _needed _more. Besides that, Kagome's breathing against his chest didn't help him in the slightest. Her warm breath against his somewhat cold, wet skin only served to deepen his desire for the miko. He sighed, guessing that he had to wait until she was ready. In an attempt to distract himself, he began to stroke her arms slowly with his knuckles, wanting more than anything to take Kagome. As he did so, however, a hiss escaped Kagome's lips, causing Inuyasha to stand her directly in front of him, so as to look at her.

For a moment, nothing was said. Kagome just stared at him, trying her best to seem as though nothing was wrong, which only instigated Inuyasha's question.

"Kagome, what's wrong?"

Kagome looked away, feeling complete embarrassment for her slight pain. She opened her mouth to say something, but before she could have even _tried _to voice a word, Inuyasha's gaze rested on a small, tiny cut on her arm—almost unnoticeable. As he did so, his eyes became slits, and he stared at her, as if expecting her to utter a sound; to dare object to what he was seeing.

She didn't.

"Wench! How the hell did that happen to you? Why didn't you say anything earlier?" Inuyasha nearly yelled, but it was evident he was trying to avoid upsetting Kagome.

Said girl stared straight into his eyes defiantly, almost making him shrink back. Almost. When she spoke, however, her voice was more contained than would have been expected. "Well, maybe if _someone _hadn't pranced into the hut while I was _about _to nurse my cuts, then _maybe _it wouldn't hurt so much, now would it?"

"I—you—I do _not _prance, wench!" Inuyasha sputtered, indignant color stealing up the hanyou's cheeks.

Kagome giggled despite herself. How could he try to look so formidable (for he was attempting to cast her a dangerous glower, even through that lovely shade of pink), when she knew there was the slightest smile tugging at the edge of his lips? She shook her head, looking up to Inuyasha, who was still trying to look tougher than he was, and smiled. "Don't worry Inuyasha," she reassured him, placing her hands around his neck, "I'm feeling better already."

Inuyasha smiled down at her, though his cheeks were still held the slightest bit of color. How could one being, one girl, make him feel so much? Her mere fingertips on the back of his neck sent tingles of pleasure through his body, as if she controlled every one of his body's reactions. The light in her eyes, the warmth in her smile, the gentle feel of her touch, the softness of her lips… Everything about her drove the hanyou to the brink of insanity while, at the same time, he owed her his very being; if not for her, the hanyou would be lost in a world of endless slumber, a place he would have never escaped.

Gently, as if afraid to hurt her, Inuyasha leaned down, pausing momentarily before her lips, then claiming them in a sweet, loving kiss. Tenderly, he laid her down on the wooden flooring, fearful of pressing her on another cut or scrape, despite the fact that there weren't many, and those that existed were too small to bleed very much. After doing so, the hanyou moved a hand to the back of her head, providing her some comfort against the wooden base, his other hand supporting the small of her back.

After assuring himself that Kagome was fine, Inuyasha leaned down once more and claimed the miko's lips. Hunger, passion, desire, lust–all those qualities were evident in Inuyasha's kiss. However, there was something that made Kagome think for a moment. There was something else in that kiss. _'What could he possibly be showing me that he can't say…? There's something softer in his kiss, something gentler. Is it…? But…it couldn't be, could it? It couldn't be…be love…could it?'_

But what if it was? What if, this entire time, Kagome had been too blinded by disbelief, too clouded by her own uncertainties to even consider Inuyasha's actions, his unspoken words, to be genuine? What if Inuyasha had been wholly honest when implying that he no longer loved Kikyou, but Kagome instead?

The new thought burned through Kagome, lent her a strength she urgently needed. As Inuyasha broke down her defenses—the defenses she had worked so hard to attain—she begged her heart, her will, her soul…_anything _she possibly possessed, to lend her the strength she needed to ask her question, to know what exactly raged within the heart of the hanyou…_her _hanyou.

Inuyasha's lips toyed with Kagome's, teasing them gently. Unintentionally, or so Kagome assumed, Inuyasha depleted the remnants of her will, of her strength. He sucked softly on her bottom lip as his hand moved her so that her neck was better revealed, allowing him to place kisses along its contours. His other hand, having been supporting the small of her back, moved away slowly so as to make sure Kagome's back would not pain her on the floor, and grasped the miko's side, his clawed thumb lightly scraping against her breast. The most probably unintended action drew a soft moan from Kagome's lips, initiating a low rumbling sound in Inuyasha's throat.

Still, Kagome tried to gain some kind of self-control—she _had _to ask Inuyasha before…anything happened.

The miko placed her hands on Inuyasha's bare chest, momentarily relishing the feel of his muscles rippling under her touch. Before she could allow herself any more, however, the girl opened her eyes and lightly pushed Inuyasha back. This action, of course, drew a bewildered stare from the hanyou, who was completely oblivious to the miko's thoughts. "Kagome?"

Said girl sighed, looking into his eyes—those eyes that would always bring her to her knees; make her heart flutter at the slightest glance. She smiled timidly at the inu-hanyou, wondering just how she was going to say what she needed. Finally, she plunged into the question, deciding that, even if she didn't know how, at some point, her question would be answered.

"Inuyasha…do you…do you love Kikyou?"

The hanyou stiffened up a moment, looking a bit startled by the sudden question. However, unlike when anyone else at any other time had asked him, Inuyasha didn't look away. On the contrary, his gaze was fervent enough to make _Kagome _want to look away, even though she never would.

He sighed, softly caressing Kagome's side with his idle hand as the other softly combed through the dark tresses framing her angelic face. He smiled wanly, his eyes lacking their usual luster, or so it seemed to the miko. However, his voice was no louder than a soft whisper as he spoke, knowing that he was speaking to Kagome, and her alone. There was no need to be loud or angry, but instead to be compassionate for Kagome.

"Kagome…I care for Kikyou, I feel as though I owe Kikyou, and I will never forget Kikyou," he began, slightly grimacing at the pain filtering into Kagome's gaze, and was just as quickly masked, "but…I don't _love _Kikyou in the same manner I did all those years ago. She isn't very different from before, but she isn't at all the same now. I'm not too sure if that makes much sense, but—"

Kagome placed a finger on his lips, quieting him. "So…you don't love Kikyou anymore?"

Inuyasha shook his head 'no'.

The girl sent him an inquisitive stare. "And…do you love anyone now?"

This time, Inuyasha nodded his head.

Kagome's heart began racing, even though she wished it didn't. Her heartbeat thundered in her ears, her mind trying to convince her as to whom, exactly, Inuyasha loved. "I see. And…would you care to tell me who that—"

A fierce kiss silenced her, as her lips parted to make way for Inuyasha. Immediately, his tongue raged against hers in the most heated of battles. Her small hands wrapped around his shoulders, linked themselves around his neck. As she did so, the hanyou's hand tilted her head so as to deepen their kiss even more so; his other hand slowly sidling up the miko's side, traveling farther up her body until it would reach its destination.

The two parted briefly for air, their heavy breathing almost echoing in the small hut. Before the situation could be helped, Inuyasha's left hand reached its goal, proven by the shredded white tank top atop the pile of Kagome's school clothes along with the sound of the miko's surprised gasp. Quickly joining the pile was Inuyasha's hakama, along with those unbelievably short shorts and panties, which were hastily removed by the hanyou, his urgency giving him a never before seen speed.

Inuyasha's clawed hand raked lightly against Kagome's breast, sending waves of indescribable pleasure coursing through her body. The inu-hanyou lowered himself to the miko's neck, placing wet, hot, searing kisses down to the hollow of her throat, slowly moving his way downward. All the while, he softly kneaded Kagome's breast with his hand, instigating soft moans to escape the girl's lips.

A scorching burn formed at Kagome's core, clearly informing the girl of her steadily increasing desire. Kagome, however, was incapable of thinking coherently, what with her mind lost in the feel and touch of Inuyasha. The mere stroke of his hand deepened her already painful ache; intensified its already incomprehensible magnitude. All the miko could do to restrain her body was to remind herself of Inuyasha, and that he needed to want this, too. Despite her efforts to contain herself, however, Kagome's hip bucked against Inuyasha, taking the hanyou by surprise.

Without Inuyasha even noticing, Kagome arched her hip right against his already hard groin, causing his already unrelenting longing for Kagome to intensify ineffably. A choked groan spilled from the hanyou's lips, only stopping when said person began kissing Kagome anywhere he could, so long as he could shut himself up. Both to Kagome's delight and dismay, Inuyasha's first blind targets were the miko's breasts.

Inuyasha kissed his way down the valley between Kagome's breasts, leaving soft, feather-light touches in his wake. He directed himself toward her left breast—the one he had been kneading. As he did so, he placed the now idle hand on Kagome's hip, and the other to Kagome's right side, which, as the hanyou perceived, had not received much attention from him at all. Such a problem needed to be dealt with immediately, according to Inuyasha's mind.

Inuyasha's mouth closed over Kagome's breast, wringing a surprised gasp from his victim, fueling his all-consuming desire to claim her as his own, to mark her as his. His tongue swiveled around Kagome's hardened nipple, every taste of it seeming to be nothing short of a taste of heaven to him. Gently, he pricked at it with his fangs, scraping it forcefully but gently, afterwards massaging it with his tongue once more. These actions, of course, brought his favored result as Kagome arched her back against his mouth, clearly urging him to continue. Or was the message begging for something more…?

As he moved his way to the miko's apparently unattended breast, save for the tender massaging his hand had been giving, Kagome's arousal—her ridiculously _strong _arousal—met his sensitive nose, and before he could even dream to respond, Kagome's hips bucked against his, purposely bumping into his hardened length. A hiss escaped his lips as he looked at Kagome's face, her eyes lidded with lust, begging him, insisting that he help her. She repeated the action until she grasped his full attention, and whether it was the sound of her voice or the words she said, Inuyasha did not know, but her following words nearly released his youkai blood: "I…Inuyasha. It…it _hurts…"_

In less than a heartbeat, Inuyasha plunged into her--_hard. _The action instantly caused Kagome's hips to arch against him, for a rather loud moan to escape her lips, for her hands to clutch him as if for dear life itself. He uttered a low moan himself, unable to withstand the pressure of the moment without expressing it in the least. He felt Kagome's small body contract around him, squeezing him shut, nearly making it impossible for him to exit once more. Not that he wanted to much, either—her small frame was deliciously tight, her heat cloaking itself around him, trapping him in her body. Slowly, however, he eased himself out, earning himself a soft whimper from Kagome. As he looked down at her, he noticed her soft, brown tresses shaking 'no' as her head moved from side to side. Softly, he kissed her neck, continuing to exit her, moving up to kiss her cheek, then to her lips so as to distract her. Only moments later, however, did he plunge in once more, surprising the girl beneath him well enough to have her clutching at him again, this time with her nails digging into the skin of his back. He didn't mind at all. On the contrary, the simple act of desperation brought a smile to his lips as he thrust into her time after time.

Time seemed like such a palpable thing—every moment of pleasure surging into her skin, igniting her desire time and again, making her love for Inuyasha grow even more. Everything around her was lost in an expanse of time, a different dimension, where nothing mattered, where nothing was of importance. _He _was the only exception.

He made her forget all her flaws and imperfection, reminded her of the beauty and love of life. Every moment spent with him was nothing short of a life made perfect. His breath, his touch, his heart…everything about him reached out to her, touched her, as if only to soothe her, to make her forget her worries and pains. The light in his golden eyes weakened her knees with every glance, drained every last bit of power from her body, yet at the same time, it renewed the strength of her soul, of her heart—gave her a pillar of fortitude on which to lean if she were to fall, supplied her with the reason and vigor with which to continue each day…

One last thrust, one last surge of energy, with their names rebounding off the walls of the hut, the sweat dripping off their bodies, sliding down every intricately made section of their flesh; with their heart pounding against each others' chests, their heavy breathing echoing in their ears, their eyes meeting the others'…

"I…I love _you, _Kagome. Only you."

Kagome's eyes watered at the sincerity in his voice, the love in his tone more evident than she had ever cared to acknowledge. "I…I love you, too, Inuyasha."

…With one last thread of their souls intertwined, and the last locked door of their hearts opened for the other, the brilliance of eternity splayed before them, leaving them with no regrets with which to look back, leaving nothing but a never ceasing, always abounding love in their wake.

**Author's Note: **Good morning everyone! Well, (sniff) this is the last chapter! AHHH! Well, in any case, if there are any complaints about the lemon or how it was presented, err…sorry. I'm still virgin, and probably will be for many years to come, so please, excuse my inexperience. XP On another note, can you all freaking believe I have 62 reviews? Woooooow. I love you all. I really do. 62? Knowing that just brings a smile to my lips. Ahh…you all are the best. And…because of that… I…will write you… one more chapter! Bwuahaha! Don't you love me? To be honest, I really didn't want to, but because I noticed the other day that I had 62 reviews on four chaps, I was like, "Oh…wait a sec. I think I have to give these Heaven-sent people another chapter." Heheh. It won't have a lemon, cause Kami only knows how hard to write this one was, but I promise to make it random, but hopefully not too much. Can't throw off the story now, can I? Well, in any case, we'll be having a 'group reunion' next chap, so prepare for some Inuyasha teasing! Eh heh. Oh…and you see that pretty little button on that bottom with the word 'Review' on it? Well…the more you click it, the happier it'll make me, the better it'll make the next chapter!


	6. Chapter Six

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Inuyasha. However, when I dominate this Earth, well then…that's a different story altogether, now, isn't it?

**Chapter Six: Watch Out For Mah Wheelchair!**

The fingers of dawn filtered through the thatched roof of the hut, licking the sleeping figures of the hanyou and miko. Their bodies were still, unmoving, save for the rise and fall of their bodies, coming as a result of their steady breathing. However, with Kagome's head resting on her beloved hanyou's chest, her left hand lying on his abdomen while the other was tangled in his silver-white hair, both persons slept with a content smile dancing on their lips, their happiness more than evident, even in their sleep.

The sun's rays brightened in a matter of minutes, and the intensely brilliant waves of sunlight were too much for the roof of the hut to block. Within minutes, the two sleeping forms in the hut were bathed in a wash of light, slowly rousing each from their sleep.

With a low grunt, the hanyou gradually opened his eyes; the lids of them laden with desired sleep yet to come. He lifted his right hand to wipe the sleep from his eyes before setting his gaze on the miko…now, rightfully, _his _miko…sleeping beside him. The small hand resting on his chest sent a wash of warmth throughout his body, while the pretty head lay quiescent atop his heart, rising and falling accordingly with his chest, causing the hanyou's breath to catch in his throat, her beauty and grace, even in sleeping, momentarily shocking the hanyou.

Feeling golden eyes staring at her, Kagome's eyes slowly opened, the hand on Inuyasha's chest coming up to wipe the sleep from her eyes. She pulled his haori, which had been provided by none other than Inuyasha the night before when her slight shivering from the cool night caught his attention, farther up her body, so as to cover herself up to her shoulders. She timidly looked up at her hanyou, his eyes shining with bemusement for a reason unbeknownst to her. She smiled up at him, her heart warming at the smile he returned.

"Morning, wench." Inuyasha greeted with a true, rarely seen, toothy grin. His eyes were bright like the sun, his molten pools of gold swimming with delight, content such as never seen by Kagome.

Said person put a face before greeting him back, his 'wench' comment greatly unappreciated by the miko. "Morning right back at you, dog-boy." The short growl issued by Inuyasha earned a light laugh from Kagome. "Hey, you brought it on yourself, Inuyasha. Had you not called me wench, well…maybe I'd have called you something different." The girl defended herself.

Inuyasha's eyebrows quirked upwards in response to her questionable claim. "Oh? And just what would you have called me?" The hanyou asked, his tone a little deeper, filled with a husky quality that sent shivers throughout Kagome's body. He moved so as to lean over her, and as he did so, Kagome's small frame was forced backwards onto the floor, now having Inuyasha's arm surrounding her free side.

Kagome gasped softly as Inuyasha dipped his head to kiss her, the tenderness in his touch lulling her into a calming illusion. The simple act of affection cast the girl into a seemingly endless bliss, one that she thought she could never quite escape—nor one she even wanted to, either.

The kiss ended as quickly as it came, however, when the hanyou raised his head and sniffed the air. He rolled his eyes and let out an exasperated sigh, spiking Kagome's curiosity. "What is it?" She asked innocently enough, tracing small circles on his chest.

Inuyasha's face contorted into one of disgust–contempt, even­– as whatever seemed to be upsetting him drew somewhat nearer. A low growl stirred within the hanyou while his eyes darted around the hut in somewhat of a nervous fashion, apparently in search of something. What he was looking for, however, was entirely unknown to Kagome.

"Inuyasha, what are you—"

He pinned her with an incredulous stare, daring her to speak. His gaze alone stilled her tongue, and she decided it would be best if she waited for him to speak instead.

"Wench…" Inuyasha began, his voice a little lower than usual, probably due to the growling being issued, Kagome assumed. "I need you to find some clothes. Anything at all will do, really."

Kagome looked up at him confusedly, wondering just why it was that she needed to put something other than his haori on as clothing. "But, can't I wear your haor—"

For the second time in less than five minutes, the inu-hanyou cut her off. "_Now,_ wench. And no, at has to be _your_ clothing. Got it?"

Despite his gruff tone, the cautious happiness in the depths of his gaze informed Kagome of everything she needed to know. Obviously it wasn't some demon Inuyasha sensed, or else he wouldn't have really cared what she wore. No, whatever was nearing them, pretty quickly, or so it seemed because of Inuyasha's steadily growing growl, must have been something–or someone–they knew. Because of this, Kagome complied easily enough.

"All right, all _right,_ Inuyasha." Kagome muttered, getting up and walking over to her rather disgustingly huge bag. Unknown to the miko, Inuyasha was smirking behind her, said smirk turning into a lazy grin as he watched her immaculate body sway with an unbelievable grace, watching her every move–her every step.

Kagome fumbled through her bag, knowing that she must have had an extra pair of clothes inside. She usually never wore them, but knew it was better to pack an extra pair, due to the fact that her clothes often tended to be ruined in battles and whatnot. After about five minutes' time, she found a cherry red tank top and a pair of jean shorts. The tank top was made of rather thin material–what it was, exactly, Kagome wasn't sure–and the shorts were, quite like the others, short. Perhaps they were a little longer than the shorts from the day prior, but Kagome shrugged it off. Inuyasha wouldn't really mind, anyway, would he?

The miko rummaged through her bag in hopes of finding some kind of panties, but to no avail. Despite the fact that it probably would have been better to wear a bra, the thin cloth of the tank top made it near impossible to conceal, resulting in Kagome's decision to leave the bra in her bag, but not having panties… She could easily see Inuyasha having a fit. Said person rose to his feet and ambled over to her, wondering what was costing her so much time.

"Kagome… what the hell is taking you so long?" Inuyasha questioned, peering over her shoulders and looking into the girl's bag. "You have clothes, so put them on already, will you?" The gruff hanyou bit out. Before giving Kagome a chance to retort, he turned around and headed for the small pile of clothing lying on the other side of the hut.

"Inuyasha! You can't just walk away! Look, I can't find any panties–" To this, Inuyasha turned his head around as quickly as his neck allowed, pinning Kagome with a scathing glare. Without giving the miko a chance to finish her statement, Inuyasha quickly spoke his thoughts. Well, 'spoke' was a…_nice_ way to say as much…

"You _what?"_ Inuyasha bellowed, a vein growing steadily visible on his neck. "How the _fuck_ can you not have underwear? Are you some kind of _idiot?" _The hanyou yelled, sniffing the air afterwards and sending a menacing glower at the door.

"Well, _excuse_ me, you thick-headed, horny _dog!_ It's not _my_ fault that _you_ were in too much of a hurry yesterday to let me take off my panties! Don't you _dare_ try to blame this on me, dog-boy!" Kagome countered, slipping her tank top over her head meanwhile.

Instantly, a rush of color filtered into Inuyasha's cheeks, defeating his attempt to look as angry and hurt as much as could have been possible. His golden eyes were ablaze, but as Inuyasha opened his mouth to speak, he closed it once more, judging it was better for him to keep his mouth shut for once. Most probably due to the fact that the blame was his to take, the hanyou's voice softened, and he turned to a half-naked Kagome. "Well…I guess you can just wear the shorts…"

Kagome stared at him, half surprised, half confused because she wasn't too sure she had heard correctly. Her eyes were glittering with numerous emotions, but anger was the least of them, thankfully. Inuyasha relaxed as she approached him and looked into her eyes, apparently having seen the lack of irritation in them. As she neared him, Kagome began hearing footsteps outside. Apparently, she wasn't the only one.

Inuyasha sniffed the air lightly, growling afterwards and positioning himself in front of the door, obviously in an attempt to blockade any person that might have tried to enter. He then snarled at Kagome, and motioned for her to hurry up. When she didn't understand (and merely responded with a dumb look on her face), Inuyasha stared at her intently through rather menacing slits and growled once more. "Hurry it up, wench! Do you want that damn monk to see you half naked?"

Well, that certainly ignited a speed within Kagome, which she hadn't even known she possessed. Her shorts were zipped and buttoned with lightning speed, her sandals already slipped on, and her hair pulled up in a ponytail. Even Inuyasha raised his eyebrows, obviously impressed. The girl huffed when she finished, locking her gaze with Inuyasha's, asking for his approval. The slight nod of his head assured her, and Kagome slumped to the ground, waiting for the arrival of the expected monk.

Inuyasha moved away from the door and sat down opposite of Kagome, so as to avoid drawing attention. As he sat down and crossed his legs so as to sit in his usual position, another person's scent hit his sensitive nose. _'Sango.'_

He looked quizzically at the door, wondering how it was possible that she and Miroku happened to come back at the same time. His gaze narrowed as he stared at the entrance of the hut, suspicion hazing his mind.

'_Pfft…I bet they secretly went off together. Probably some kind of tryst or something…don't you think? It's pretty suspicious that they came together, at the same time, and–oh, was that Sango…_laughing…_with Miroku? Yup, the whole "lets-get-away-to-our-respective-places" was all an act to meet up and do each other like you did Kago–"_

The voice in Inuyasha's head apparently returned with a vengeance, having been silenced for so long, anyway. However, the inu-hanyou made quick time in shutting it up, what with the mentioned people in that one-sided conversation approaching by the second. But still…why _were_ they together? Even he found it rather odd…

_Hey, _Inuyasha interrupted, not wishing to hear any further comments from his conscience, youkai... whatever it was. _Why don't you try and figure out how in hell that would have been possible? By the time I got outside to chase Kagome down, I didn't smell Sango anymore._

'_Really.' _ The voice argued, sarcasm thick in its tone. _'Well, remind me next time to remember that you positively were **not **sickeningly obsessed with Kagome's scent and were unable to smell anything else. Just to let you know, that's what it seemed like yesterday. Hells, man, even _I _couldn't smell anything but Kagome. How could _you_ have possible been able to smell Sango?_

A rapping on the door knocked Inuyasha out of his thoughts, temporarily proclaiming Inuyasha's 'voice' as the winner of the argument. The hanyou grunted in response to the sound, which was obviously heard through the wood of the door. Another giggle was heard outside, to which Inuyasha and Kagome looked at each other, wondering what, exactly, was happening between the monk and the demon slayer. Finally, Miroku seemed to have heard Inuyasha, and opened the door.

"Inuyasha! How good it is to see you after so long!" The houshi greeted, a bright smile lingering on his face–one that everyone but he and Sango seemed to have noticed rather easily. Said girl giggled lightly behind the monk, her cheeks pinked with delight. Such was duly noted by both the miko and hanyou witnessing it all.

"Err…what in seven hells is going on, monk?" Inuyasha questioned, his gruff tone drowned by the fit of laughter Sango and Miroku were sharing. The monk turned to him, his eyes twinkling with amusement.

"Why, whatever do you mean, Inuyasha?" Miroku responded, stepping into the hut, followed closely by Sango. "Sango and I have just had a good day; that's all!"

Inuyasha snorted in response, shaking his head at the answer given to him. "Really? Then how is it that both you and Sango just happened to arrive here at the same ti–"

The hanyou's sentence was halted the second his golden eyes found Miroku with his hand on resting on Kagome's shoulder, his knees bent so as to reach her, and his face dipped down so as to kiss her on the cheek or…

"Get the _fuck _away from her!" the hanyou bellowed, a flash of red appearing in his eyes before he quickly smacked Miroku in the side of his head rather hard, which sent the monk flying to the other side of the hut.

Kagome looked up at Inuyasha through stunned eyes, shock and wonder filling her chocolate brown orbs. For some reason, the look didn't seem to sit well the pestered hanyou. He sent her a pleading glance, as if trying to quickly ask for her understanding, to which she apparently refused.

Much to Sango and Miroku's confusion, Inuyasha began trying to reason with Kagome. "Keh! Wench, if it hadn't been me, Sango would have done it! It was only a matter of time until she would have hit him over the head with that weapon of hers!" The hanyou persisted, throwing his arms up in exasperation.

The miko stared at him, still in slight shock of the possessiveness he showed over Kagome. He really did care that much? He hadn't…lied? Kagome shook her head, a small smile forming on her lips. _'See? What'd I tell you? He wasn't lying…he probably never _once_ lied, and that was all you thought he did. Pfft…shows how much you know.' _

Kagome smiled at the thought, conceding to the voice's reason. '_Fine, fine…maybe you're right. Still, you'd think he'd have let me know a little sooner, don't you think?'_

'_Yeah, right, Kagome. Like you'd have believed it anyway. Pfft…you're such an insecure girl. Always needing attention, always needing to feel loved—'_

'_Oh…be quiet, will you? I get it already!'_

By this time, the room was filled with bustling and conversation, the first one reaching Kagome's attention being Miroku and Inuyasha's discussion as to why the monk couldn't greet Kagome.

"All I was going to do was say hi, you ignorant moron!" Miroku half shouted, wanting to get his point across without angering the already annoyed hanyou even more than seemed necessary.

"Oh, so now I'm an ignorant moron? Look who's talking! You're the one that seemed too stupid to notice that you were touching Kagome while I was around!" Inuyasha spat back, fully earning Sango's attention as well.

"Inuyasha? Since when have you acted so strangely because of Miroku's actions?" The exterminator questioned. Sadly for her, she was ignored, which led her to joining Kagome and sitting down beside the miko.

"What do _you_ care if I touch Kagome or not? You're the one interested in a dead priestess anyway, aren't you? Besides, you, along with everyone else on this earth, should already know that my heart has already been taken by another!" The monk retaliated, his tone catching a hint of dreaminess toward the end of hi s statement. Apparently, that portion of the statement also grabbed Sango's immediate attention.

"Is that so, Miroku? Care to share who this mystery woman is? Unless, of course, my calculations were correct and you really _are_ gay." Sango retorted, causing the monk to gape at her in response.

"Why, Sango, you of all people should know! My heart belongs to you, or did you not realize the first day we met? And how could you _ever_ believe me to be gay! Such would be so unfitting of my character, dearest Sango!" He grinned, striding over to the exterminator's spot and grabbing her hand, prompting a light blush on Sango's cheeks. " You own my heart, you dangerous, dangerous woman!"

Sango physically shuddered, slapping the monk with her free hand. "Would you get away from me? Goodness, don't you have something better to do than indulge yourself? Perhaps something like finishing that argument with Inuyasha, who seems a tad bit upset, don't you think?" She snapped, carefully prying off Miroku's hand from hers.

The monk sighed, realizing his defeat, and turned back to face the inu-hanyou, who seemed rather upset at the lack of attention he was receiving. "So…Inuyasha, why _are_ you so upset at the fact that I was going to touch Kagome? Correct me if I am mistaken, but as far as I'm concerned, she's free for the taking, is she not?" Miroku asked calmly, leveling his gaze to meet the hanyou's.

Inuyasha growled lightly, his golden eyes ablaze. He locked his stare with Miroku, golden fire meeting violet calm, erupting an even bigger irritation within the hanyou. "Listen, you uneducated monk! Kagome is _mine! _Not yours, not Kouga's, not anyone's but _mine_. Got that?"

Miroku raised his eyebrows in response, shock filling his violet orbs. He took a few steps closer to Inuyasha, who apparently seemed a little baffled at the monk's strange actions. Stepping a little too closely for the hanyou's comfort, Inuyasha put a hand on the monk's chest, making sure he didn't take a step closer. After a little while of bearing Miroku's inspection and hearing the ladies' giggles here and there, Inuyasha finally growled.

"Miroku?"

"Yes, Inuyasha?" Miroku countered, not missing a second of observation of the hanyou.

"What the fucking hell are you doing?" Inuyasha growled, keeping his voice to a neutral tone, attempting to keep the peace while it lasted. No telling what the monk was going to say, and if it was going to be something unpleasant, Inuyasha would do better saving his voice until then, anyway…

"Oh, I'm sorry. I'm checking you over to make sure you haven't fallen ill to some rare disease that might have caused your thinking to become even more dysfunctional than one would deem necessary." The man in question answered calmly, seemingly making annotations to the 'observation'.

The hanyou, judging by the vehement growl issued, was extremely unimpressed with the monk's answer. His fist clenched on Miroku's robe and, rather than push him away, Inuyasha dragged him a little closer, bringing him so close that any onlooker might've questioned either's assumed sexuality.

"And just why the _fuck_ would you be checking me, you worthless excuse for a monk?" Inuyasha uttered in a low, rather angry tone, which undoubtedly caused the monk to flinch.

"Well, Inuyasha, to be totally honest, it's a very rare thing that you claim Kagome's as yours. I mean, Sango and I knew you always wanted her, but I certainly didn't believe you'd ever _admit_ as much. Something special happened recently of which I'm unaware?" Miroku replied, gulping as Inuyasha bore his fangs at him.

"You good for nothing, piece of sh–"

"Kagome!" A small voice shouted as the door to the hut was suddenly opened, only to reveal the young kitsune, who obviously ran ahead of the elderly priestess, Kaede. He jumped into Kagome's arms, barely giving the girl a moment to breath. "I missed you so much!" He squealed.

The sudden outburst practically halted everything that had been going on in the room, much to Miroku's relief. Kagome grinned happily at Shippou, reveling in his innocence and childish manners. A child could brighten a day, or at least, Kagome thought so. "It's so good to see you again, Shippou! I've missed you, too!"

The miko's statement seemed to have slightly annoyed Inuyasha, earning a small grunt from the hanyou. It went seemingly unnoticed by the miko, who continued to play with the kitsune, talking to him and asking him about his prior day's activities with Kaede, who had entered the hut a little while after the fox demon.

Finally, after a fine line of questioning, the kitsune decided to sniff the air, apparently having had detected something strange about his surrounding scents. Afterwards, he looked to Kagome, Inuyasha, and back again, his green orbs filling with confusion. After what was about five minutes' time, filled with incessant rambling among the teenagers, a glint of enlightenment shone in the depths of the kit's eyes, having come upon a conclusion to the change of scents.

Shippou looked at Kagome, who was conversing with Sango about some change of clothes or whatnot, and tapped her on the shoulder, adding a little, "Hey, Kagome…" in case she didn't notice. Thankfully for him, she did, to which he was grateful. Finally, with curious eyes, he asked what was probably the cause to a good hour's worth of argument, confusion, teasing and laughing. Sounding as innocent as was at all possible, the young kit asked his question.

"Kagome…it smells like you've played with Inuyasha. Did you?"

Despite the noisy conversation that had been taking place in the hut, all the members within said place fell silent, including the young woman in question. Her cheeks pinked at the unsullied query, clearly gaining the spotlight in the hut. After what seemed like ages, yet another question was posed.

"So," Sango began in a casual tone, hoping to drag her desired answer out as discreetly as possible, "have you played with Inuyasha lately?"

The imaginary bulk on Kagome's shoulders seemed to have weighed too much for the already hard-pressed girl. Even though she had wanted to keep things quiet until Inuyasha deemed fit, or until they defeated Naraku, the pressure of everyone's expectancy, of everyone's anticipation broke her will to keep it all secret, and in the end, she gave a curt nod, prompting the audible gasps from everyone in the hut, save for Inuyasha and Shippou.

Miroku jabbed Inuyasha in the side, irritating the hanyou more than he already had been. Not to mention, Inuyasha was already giving in to a slight blush on his skin, evidently pointing to the truth in Kagome's statement. However, despite all that, the monk couldn't resist a little light teasing. Or maybe just a tad more than light.

"Well, well, well, Inuyasha! It seems as though you've officially made Kagome yours, you dog, you." To this, Miroku received a venomous glare from the silver-haired hanyou, his amber eyes lit with a scorching fire that Miroku would have been better off not lighting. Even so, the monk insisted. Miroku gave a light chuckle before a suspicious glint lit up his violet gaze. "Oh, and Inuyasha? That shade of red looks absolutely fabulous on you. I must positively _implore_ that you wear it more often. It was _made_ for you."

Sango and Kagome sighed simultaneously, knowing full well that a fight was just around the corner. _'At least it's not with me…'_

"Monk, I would advise you to shut the fuck up before I screw your head over and shove it up your holy ass." Inuyasha threatened, his voice crackling with anger. However, it seemed completely inconceivable for Miroku to learn his lesson.

"Did I forget to mention that I think Kagome must be deeply regretting it? I mean, I know _I'm _bigger than you. She needs a man, you know. I truly do pity her." A dodge to the left of an oncoming punch kept the monk smirking devilishly.

"You son of a damned, good-for-nothing whore! I hope you like getting your fucked up balls tied in a fucking knot, because I'll probably do that and maybe, if I'm feeling generous enough, I might just shove that dick of yours in your perverted mouth and _then_ shove your head up your ass!" Inuyasha snarled, sending his claws towards Miroku's chest. Luckily for the monk, he was quick enough to dodge another swipe.

Just as Miroku was about to open his mouth to make another remark, the girls had reached the men, Kagome with Inuyasha and Sango with Miroku. As quickly as they were able, Sango covered Miroku's mouth so as to prevent another comment from slipping, while Kagome held back Inuyasha's arms so as to prevent the monk's demise.

"Miroku!" Sango chastised, covering his mouth with her left hand while her right kept him firmly in place. "Be quiet, will you? I'm almost certain that Inuyasha's on the verge of tearing you to pieces!"

"Damn straight I am!" The hanyou shouted. "That good for nothing lecher doesn't shut his fat mouth! Besides, I gave him a warning." Inuyasha stated, his anger diminishing after Kagome grabbed hold of him. Speaking of Kagome, she didn't look in the happiest of moods from Inuyasha's point of view. Maybe he really should have kept from attacking Miroku…

"Inuyasha…" Kagome began sweetly. _'Crap.' _ Inuyasha knew this tone. He knew Kagome was probably livid, and something told him that Kaede's sigh after hearing Kagome's tone was no mere coincidence. _'Yup…I'm in for it.'_

"Why were you trying to kill Miroku? Hmm? Was it because he said a few things to you?" The miko continued, still in that disgustingly melodic voice. "Because you know, _I've_ certainly said things to you, and you never tried to kill me."

"Inuyasha gulped, knowing he was playing into her guilt trip. On the one hand, he could just give a gruff apology to the monk and end the miko's hassling; on the other hand, he could always run what he was thinking about…

"I-Inuyasha? What are you… Why are you looking at me that way?"

The hanyou didn't even bother to answer. He quickly dipped his head, capturing Kagome's lips in a slow, tender kiss. His hands wrapped around her waist, pulling the girl closer to his chest, all the while caressing her lips with his own. He clasped the miko's left hand in his right, bringing it up and placing it on his heart.

Unbeknownst to the lovers, an audience was watching them from within the hut. Just as Inuyasha decided to trail a clawed hand up Kagome's right side, Sango cleared her throat loudly, so as to gain the couple's attention before the young kitsune should see things too inappropriate for his young eyes. "Well! I guess that means Inuyasha's not angry now, doesn't it, Miroku?"

Sango's diversion to the monk's attention quickly prompted the ending of the couple's kiss. Apparently, from Sango's point of view, they had forgotten they weren't alone. Such was evident due to the deep colored blushes staining both the hanyou and miko's faces. "Well," the exterminator began again, nonchalance ringing clearly in her voice, "I guess we should start off again, eh?"

Inuyasha looked to Kagome, bowing his head so that his forehead touched hers. Golden eyes pleading for the answer to an unspoken question, and chocolate brown reassuring what had no need to be said aloud. Slowly, a smile spread across Inuyasha's features, one lit with an underlying joy that Kagome had yet to see on her beloved hanyou's face. He grasped her hand in his, looked to his partners and nodded. "Let's go."

_Golden eyes pleading for the answer to an unspoken question, begging for the one thing the hanyou needed to know. "Forever?"_

_Chocolate brown reassuring what had no need to be said aloud. "Forever."_

"_You're sure you want so stay with me? For as long as we live?"_

"_Yeah…I think…I think I'd like that a lot. Besides, I love you, remember?"_

_Slowly, a smile spread across Inuyasha's features, one lit with an underlying joy Kagome had yet to see on her beloved hanyou's face. "Yeah, and I love you, too."_

**Author's Note: **Oh my…I took so long. I'm so sorry. –sigh- Well, I do have valid excuses, but now's not the time for that eh? I'm…finally…done. It's complete. And Kami…it had better have been worth it. Well, anyway, I hope you all liked it! Even if it _did_ take forever. Two months. Goodness, I'm such a bad person. –sigh…yet again!- Well, either way, please revieeeew!

Peace out,

.:.ZG91.:.


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